YouTube has released its 2023 Culture & Trends Report, demonstrating how digital video creation and consumption are shaping and interacting with pop culture.
The report, comprising data from surveys in 14 countries of people ages 18–44 who are online, analyzed hundreds of trends. Here are some of the report’s most interesting, if unsurprising, findings. They may inspire more content creation—or just reinforce the notion that you’re doing the right thing.
Video content is huge. Not a shocking revelation to anyone, but the stats are pretty convincing: 82% of respondents said they’ve posted video content online (to Instagram stories, TikTok, YouTube, or Snapchat) in the past 12 months. And with more tools at creators’ disposal, consumers are raising their expectations of what they see online, increasingly expecting personalized experiences and videos in different formats (short versus long, live or prerecorded). More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) said they watch videos about a specific topic they are into in multiple formats; 67% of Gen Z respondents said they like when their favorite creators post different types of videos. So diversifying between long- and short-form video is one takeaway to consider.
Tools to make video experiences more accessible—such as closed captioning and multilanguage audio tracks—should be used whenever possible. Most video viewers agree subtitles are desirable (for not watching with the sound on, for example), while 54% of those surveyed said they follow a creator who creates content in a language other than their own.
The way people consume—and the vast availability of content out there—makes way for both active and casual consumption. Active fans are those who might interact with a band’s campaign by remixing or riffing on its content or would create memes. Casual fans, on the other hand, consume content more passively. In one example of how people rely on online video content, 54% of those surveyed say they would prefer to watch creators break down a major event (like the Oscars or Grammys) rather than watch the event itself. Meanwhile, 47% of Gen Z have watched videos made by fans of specific content, artists, or public figures over the past 12 months. To put it another way, just because a potential fan isn’t viewing or engaging with certain content doesn’t mean they aren’t interacting with it secondhand.
For more information on the report, visit blog.youtube.com.
(Image courtesy YouTube)
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