A new generation of digital natives is transforming online content through what YouTube‘s Culture & Trends team refers to as “Creative Maximalism,” according to the platform’s 2025 report. This aesthetic approach, embraced by 14-24 year olds, features information-dense visuals, collaborative storytelling, internet-referential content, and global cultural influences.
The report, based on surveys conducted with SmithGeiger polling thousands of online users aged 14-49, finds that 66% of Gen Z respondents believe people their age significantly impact online discourse, compared to just 49% of adults aged 25-49.
This cultural shift stems from teens growing up in what the report characterizes as a post-“Gangnam Style,” post-“Minecraft”, post-YouTube world, an environment where foreign content, sandbox gaming, and creator-driven entertainment have become fundamental components of their media diet.
Traditional Media Loses Relevance
Data from Deloitte’s “2025 Digital Media Trends” study cited in the report indicates Gen Z spends 26% less time watching TV and movies than the average person, approximately 44 minutes less per day. Simultaneously, they allocate 54% more time to social platforms and user-generated content than typical consumers, about 50 minutes more daily.
The National Research Group’s “Growing Pains” study suggests that this shift occurs because fewer than one-third of young people believe traditional media adequately represent their world, including social media, video games, school, and family life. As a result, today’s teens predominantly consume content created and curated by their peers.
The report finds that 57% of 14-24-year-olds are more interested in new content from creators than new TV shows or movies, reinforcing this generational pivot away from legacy media.
Four Elements Define Creative Maximalism
YouTube’s research identifies four distinct characteristics that define this new creative language:
Audio/Visual Complexity: Content featuring information-rich visuals, multiple frames, layered elements, and rapid editing. The “Skibidi Toilet” series, created by Alexey Gerasimov, exemplifies this approach, with its fast-paced sequences and intricate visual universe generating over 4 million related video uploads.
Narrative Co-Creation: Entertainment properties developed collaboratively by dispersed online communities. According to the survey, 34% of 14-24-year-olds contributed to online content series or creator projects in the past year. Examples include community-developed properties like the SCP Foundation, Backrooms, and Italian brain rot, as well as Jorge Rivera-Herrans’ “EPIC: The Musical,” which has amassed over 115 million views across 30 songs.
Internet-Referential Content: Videos built on intricate layers of memes, inside jokes, and references from online subcultures. The report highlights how cat meme characters have evolved into an interconnected “Cat Cinematic Universe” with established emotional signifiers, while gaming-derived “emotes” have crossed into mainstream expression.
Global Influence: Content drawing aesthetics and themes from international sources. Examples include “Le poisson Steve,” a French animated fish that garnered over 90 million views; Brazilian phonk music, which evolved from Southern U.S. hip-hop and Eastern European dance music; and “Alien Stage,” a South Korean animated series about a deadly singing competition that found a global audience.
Cultural Impact Beyond Entertainment
This maximalist creativity extends beyond aesthetics to shape broader youth identity and behavior. Survey data reveals:
60% of 14-24 year olds have adopted habits, traditions, or rituals from online creators
62% use language or slang picked up from videos or memes
58% say their sense of humor has been shaped by the internet
59% report their personal style has been influenced by online content
Mainstream Adoption and Future Implications
Creative Maximalism is increasingly influencing traditional institutions. The report notes brands like Nutter Butter adopting the aesthetic for social media, while major organizations including the NFL incorporate the style in content like schedule release videos. Hollywood studios are reportedly scouting YouTube franchises such as “Skibidi Toilet” for adaptation.
The report suggests generative AI may accelerate this trend by making complex, referential content creation more accessible. It notes that one of 2025’s biggest phenomena, Italian brain rot videos, with over 450,000 uploads featuring AI-generated characters, emerged specifically because of these tools.
Key Takeaways for Content Creators
YouTube’s report concludes with five strategic implications:
Embrace Digital-First Approaches: Young people’s entertainment, expression, and relationships are primarily mediated through digital platforms, requiring strategies rooted in these spaces.
Adopt Maximalist Creative Modes: Gen Z has grown up processing dense information and stimuli, creating opportunities for more complex communication frameworks.
Enable Co-Creation: Young audiences expect to contribute to and modify the content they consume, expanding its relevance through personalization.
Learn the New Universal Language: Successfully adopting internet culture requires genuine fluency rather than superficial mimicry.
Recognize Constants: Despite new creative expressions, young people remain motivated by timeless desires: forming identities, building communities, and seeing their experiences reflected in media.
Image credit: YouTube The full report is available here
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
A new generation of digital natives is transforming online content through what YouTube‘s Culture & Trends team refers to as “Creative Maximalism,” according to the platform’s 2025 report. This aesthetic approach, embraced by 14-24 year olds, features information-dense visuals, collaborative storytelling, internet-referential content, and global cultural influences.
The report, based on surveys conducted with SmithGeiger polling thousands of online users aged 14-49, finds that 66% of Gen Z respondents believe people their age significantly impact online discourse, compared to just 49% of adults aged 25-49.
This cultural shift stems from teens growing up in what the report characterizes as a post-“Gangnam Style,” post-“Minecraft”, post-YouTube world, an environment where foreign content, sandbox gaming, and creator-driven entertainment have become fundamental components of their media diet.
Traditional Media Loses Relevance
Data from Deloitte’s “2025 Digital Media Trends” study cited in the report indicates Gen Z spends 26% less time watching TV and movies than the average person, approximately 44 minutes less per day. Simultaneously, they allocate 54% more time to social platforms and user-generated content than typical consumers, about 50 minutes more daily.
The National Research Group’s “Growing Pains” study suggests that this shift occurs because fewer than one-third of young people believe traditional media adequately represent their world, including social media, video games, school, and family life. As a result, today’s teens predominantly consume content created and curated by their peers.
The report finds that 57% of 14-24-year-olds are more interested in new content from creators than new TV shows or movies, reinforcing this generational pivot away from legacy media.
Four Elements Define Creative Maximalism
YouTube’s research identifies four distinct characteristics that define this new creative language:
Cultural Impact Beyond Entertainment
This maximalist creativity extends beyond aesthetics to shape broader youth identity and behavior. Survey data reveals:
Mainstream Adoption and Future Implications
Creative Maximalism is increasingly influencing traditional institutions. The report notes brands like Nutter Butter adopting the aesthetic for social media, while major organizations including the NFL incorporate the style in content like schedule release videos. Hollywood studios are reportedly scouting YouTube franchises such as “Skibidi Toilet” for adaptation.
The report suggests generative AI may accelerate this trend by making complex, referential content creation more accessible. It notes that one of 2025’s biggest phenomena, Italian brain rot videos, with over 450,000 uploads featuring AI-generated characters, emerged specifically because of these tools.
Key Takeaways for Content Creators
YouTube’s report concludes with five strategic implications:
Image credit: YouTube
The full report is available here
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