YouTube’s Culture & Trends Report: Moving at the speed of culture
Jun 22, 2023 – [[read-time]] minute read
In 2022, we observed a major shift in pop culture, one that was driven less and less by viral moments with mass appeal. Instead, we found that creators and their viewers were prioritizing personally relevant content that reflected their unique interests.
This year, we turned our focus to the rapid technological changes in creation and consumption that are enabling creators and their fans to put these individual perspectives front and center. For our latest report, we conducted surveys in 14 countries and analyzed hundreds of trends to better understand how creative tools are being used to offer new means of expression and produce moments that resonate in culture today.
You can read the full report here. If you’re a marketer, advertiser or work with a brand, you can watch a tour of the report hosted by top creator Airrack, including some key takeaways. Creators can get even more usable perspective from this discussion by Colin and Samir.
We found that some key components are behind the moments that are breaking through: fandom becoming more multilayered, formats expanding, increased access to casual and experiential tools, and an explosion of AI-based technologies.
47% of Gen Z have watched videos made by fans of specific content, artists, or public figures over the past 12 months.
The many layers of Fandom
As the digital environment evolves, fandom is becoming more stratified, with new levels of participation enabling casual and superfans alike to express themselves online across multiple formats. And viewers are eager to consume this output: 47% of Gen Z have watched videos made by fans of specific content, artists, or public figures over the past 12 months.
Multiformat experiences
Key to this dimensionalized fandom is the growth of formats beyond long-form, most notably short-form but also livestreams and podcasts. Creators have embraced storytelling across these offerings, which lets audiences personalize their consumption even further: 87% of people have watched at least 4 of the content formats that YouTube offers over the past 12 months.
Casual & experiential tools
From remixing to clipping to filters and effects, there are more tools than ever before that let creators take part and lend their unique spin to moments as they happen. At the same time, audiences can tailor how they’re experiencing this content thanks to features like multi-language audio and new ways of using closed captions.
There have been more than 1.7 billion views of videos related to generative AI tools in 2023.
AI-based technologies
AI is everywhere, but to make sense of how it’s changing pop culture it’s crucial to study the ways creators are adapting the technology to extend and reimagine ideas. There have been more than 1.7 billion views of videos related to generative AI tools in 2023. The unprecedented speed at which this content is produced means that videos can exist in conversation with each other, expanding an individual piece of content’s meaning.
While the pace of change can be daunting, there are more opportunities than ever to create moments that break through. We hope that this report will provide you with the context and insights to do so, no matter what your role might be.