A new “Culture & Trends” report from YouTube, produced in partnership with the research firm NRG, finds that YouTube creators and internet memes have reached roughly the same level of public recognition as Hollywood celebrities and the Super Bowl. Asked what “lots of people seem to be into nowadays,” 79% of respondents cited Hollywood celebrities and 83% cited the Super Bowl, while 77% cited YouTube creators and 78% cited memes, according to the report’s underlying NRG survey.

The report, titled “In Search of Mainstream,” is built on a review of existing research, an analysis of entertainment and video trends, and a survey of thousands of people active online, ages 14 to 44.

Fragmentation Hasn’t Killed the Desire to Belong

The report’s central argument is that mainstream culture has not disappeared but has changed how it forms. Fewer than a third of kids and teens believe movies and TV shows accurately depict contemporary family dynamics or the role of technology and social media in their lives, according to a cited 2025 National Research Group study. 

In response, 67% of 14 to 44-year-olds say that, compared with five years ago, they are watching more content or following more creators that no one else they personally know follows, per the NRG survey (N=939). At the same time, 63% of the same group say it is more true than five years ago that they watch content or follow creators that people they know are also watching, and 63% of 14 to 29-year-olds agree that being into the same things as other people makes them feel part of something bigger, nine points higher than 30 to 44-year-olds (54%).

Separately, NRG’s theatrical tracking data shows average awareness of the top 10 theatrical releases fell from 68.3% in 2017 to 59.6% in 2025, while the share of aware audiences identifying as “big fans” of those releases rose from 22.2% to 26.5% over the same period.

Three Signals Now Define ‘Mainstream’

The report proposes three measurable signals: visibility (repeated exposure across platforms), comprehension (shared understanding that requires no explanation), and participation (active engagement, including commenting, sharing, remixing and purchasing). Something scoring high on all three lands in “mainstream”; lower combinations produce “known,” “popular,” or “niche” status. Participation ranks as a particularly strong signal: 46% of respondents said something has “gotten really big” when it is being talked about widely online, versus 41% each for seeing memes or jokes about it and for watching YouTube content about it.

The survey found 70% of 14 to 44-year-olds describe themselves as video content creators. Community-specific content also draws broad viewership: 71% have watched videos unpacking stories within a specific fandom or community, and 69% have watched content from a community they would consider niche.

Case Studies: Games, Anime, Podcasts and the NFL

The report cites Minecraft and Roblox reaching 75% recognition, close to Marvel’s 84%, and credits “Grand Theft Auto V” (2013) as the most profitable entertainment product in history. It points to “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” earning $70 million in its 2025 U.S. opening weekend, the biggest anime debut on record. On podcasts, the report cites podcastatistics.com data showing more than half of Americans age 12 and up listen monthly, alongside an NRG finding that 83% of online 14 to 44-year-olds watched a video podcast in the past year.

A case study on the NFL states the league’s 11 official YouTube channels generated more than 20 billion views in 2025, with viewership up 250% since 2020, and that 82% of online 14 to 24-year-olds turn to YouTube for content about what they’re a fan of, 95% of whom do so at least weekly. A separate case study on “The Backrooms” reports more than 15 billion YouTube views for related content, and states that creator Kane Parsons’s film adaptation opened to $118 million globally, including $81.4 million in North America, becoming A24’s biggest opening weekend and making Parsons the youngest director to top the global box office.

Success as a Shared Outcome

The report also states that 63% of fans aged 14 to 44 agree they “feel successful” when someone or something they follow succeeds, and that 60% of fans in the same age range feel proud of a success they believe they helped create, both citing an April 2025 Google/SmithGeiger survey.

Image source: YouTube
Read the full report here

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