In its annual trends research report, YouTube says fan culture is turning Gen Z into creators.
The platform says that the increasing volume of fan-made content — recaps, reactions, parodies, and commentary that can be more popular than its source content — has made fan culture “the central driver of emerging popular culture.”
As The Washington Post reported last week, the YouTube study found that 65 percent of 350 U.S.-based Gen Z respondents describe themselves as “video content creators.” The report contextualizes that majority as the result of a larger increase in fan-made content. Fans expect their media to be malleable and to be empowered to remix it,” the report reads. Sixty-six percent of Gen Z Americans say they often spend more time watching content that discusses or unpacks something than they do watching the thing itself.
Online fandom is a powerful tool for virtual connection, with 47 percent of Gen Z respondents reporting that they belong …