YouTube study reveals the rise of ‘creative maximalism’ in content
Sep 04, 2025 [[read-time]] minute read
This generation of teens has grown up in a world where YouTube has always existed, where sandbox games have been both entertainment and social connectors, and where phenomena like “Gangnam Style” have introduced an appetite for global content. These teens' media has been borderless, fully customizable, and participatory, shaping what they expect from their content. In contrast with prior generations' relationship with film and TV, today’s teens have the desire, tools, and distribution to make the content they want to see, inspired by video formats they grew up on. They aren’t just consumers, but also adept creators and curators of content reflecting their interests and worldview.
Our latest report from the YouTube Culture and Trends team, “The Next Generation of Creativity: A Maximalist Moment Reshaping Culture,” explores the tangible result of this shift: the rise of a new "Creative Maximalism."
What is creative maximalism? The team researched hundreds of the past year’s trends from the world’s top markets and ran surveys with SmithGeiger, asking thousands of people about their interests and attitudes towards the internet. Respondents were people who are active online, age 14–49.
What they found was a new type of content, defined by four key elements:
- Audio/Visual Complexity: Densely layered information and faster-paced editing.
- Narrative Co-creation: Public-generated, massive, decentralized entertainment properties with immense casts of characters and storylines.
- Internet-Referential: Humor and ideas built on layers of online inside jokes.
- Globally Influenced: A seamless blend of cultural references from around the world
For this generation, participating in the discourse of their peers and communities means creating and engaging with video, and their new language is quickly shaping entertainment.
To learn more about this maximalist moment, read the Culture & Trends Report here.