Explore findings from YouTube’s 2022 Culture & Trends Report
to discover what people are watching and why.
Back in the 2000s and 2010s, pop culture on the internet was largely defined by viral video experiences.
After analysing hundreds of trends and surveying thousands of viewers around the world, we found that the days of monolithic viral trends are long gone.
Today’s digital pop culture is all about you.
THINGS SPED
UP
THIS SHIFT
1. A BURST OF NEW VIDEO FORMATS AND TECHNOLOGIES
85%
of Gen Z have posted video content online.1
2. BETTER AND MORE PERSONALISED PLATFORM RECOMMENDATIONS
65%
of Gen Z agree that content that’s personally relevant to them is more important than the content that lots of other people talk about.2
3. INCREASED VIDEO VIEWERSHIP
30%
growth in digital consumption during the pandemic.3
TRENDS EMERGED
FROM THIS SHIFT
COMMUNITY
RESPONSIVE
MULTIFORMAT
Fan communities used to be a side effect of entertainment. Today, they are central to the entertainment experience.
61%
of Gen Z agree that they would describe themselves as a “really big” or “super” fan of something or someone.4
K-pop fan edits focusing on individual band members have been so successful that K-pop labels have started releasing them as official content.
Meanwhile, “professional fans” analyse pop culture from their own singular points of view.
From watch collecting to freestyle football, there’s a YouTube community for everything. Big Jet TV became an international sensation when nearly a quarter of a million viewers tuned in to watch planes trying to land during Storm Eunice.
Memes are no longer confined to a single medium or format. Visual gags and concepts spread fluidly across platforms as people consume, create, and remix media.
57%
of Gen Z agree that they like it when brands participate in memes.5
YouTube Shorts creators Lisa Nguyen and Nick DiGiovanni produce longer material for audiences to explore in depth.
Longer-form creators like MrBeast and The Sorry Girls reach new audiences by leaning into Shorts.
of Gen Z agree that they use short-form video apps to discover things that they then watch longer versions of.6
59%
Gen Z is using video to create a pop culture shaped by what they need from it.
of Gen Z have watched a video that helped them feel like they were in a different place.7
90%
The past two years have been stressful for young people, whose chosen content responds to their emotional needs. Highly aesthetic “vibe” videos transport viewers, while soothing content and returning to familiar creators provide moments of calm.
Musical artist Bad Bunny released his new album accompanied by a series of 360-degree videos that let viewers vibe out with him and his friends on a tropical beach.
WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE ADVERTISERS?
Personal, in-depth experiences are, by definition, far more diversified than previous trends. This type of pop culture can seem unknowable, but there are clear themes that make it easier to understand in order to respond.
Many people turn to platforms like YouTube to meet these evolving needs.
78%
of people agree that they use YouTube because it serves them with content that’s personally relevant to them.8
Editor: Marianna Nash
Designer: Sohee Cho
Production Leads: Jenny Maughan and Rachel Helton
Credits
Explore Related Content
Article
Soothing videos: The surprising trend capturing Gen Z’s attention
Story by Kevin Allocca
Global Director, Culture & Trends, YouTube
Contributing Editors, Culture & Trends:
Nicolas Szmidt and Brian Farnham