According to a YouTube India Culture and Trends report released in collaboration with research firm SmithGeiger, 83% of online Gen Zers aged 14-24 who identify as fans consider themselves “creators.” This data points to the fact that the content ecosystem in India is becoming democratized as anyone with a smartphone and internet connection can aspire to be a content creator.
The report, which marks the 10th anniversary of YouTube Fanfest, finds that 91% of Gen Z fans participated in some kind of fan-related activity in the past 12 months.
The study also found that 93% of Gen Z fans watch content about the people or things they’re fans of on YouTube at least once a week, and 62% of Gen Zers said they belong to a fandom that no one they personally know belongs to.
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Speaking about the evolution of fandom on YouTube, Ishan John Chatterjee, Director, India, said, “Fans are constantly turning to YouTube to deepen their connection with their fandom, whether it be to watch fan-made content on the topics they care about or to create their own. As fans discover content they love, it fosters discovery and deeper engagement.”
YouTube also announced plans to continue empowering creators and fans to unleash their creativity, build thriving communities and turn passions into opportunity.
“With intuitive tools like the YouTube Create app and mobile-first creativity powered by YouTube Shorts, we empower everyone to be creative – and make it easier than ever for everyone to express themselves across any format. We believe our most passionate fans should be able to directly support their favourite creators, so we offer more ways for creators to earn money through fan-funded features like Super Chats, Super Stickers, channel memberships and merchandise,” he added.
Chatterjee also said that YouTube will continue to invest in features like posts, vertical livestreams and multilingual audio to help creators connect with their audiences on a deeper level wherever they are in the world.
According to the report, 87% of Gen Z say they are a fan of someone or something. Additionally, 62% of Gen Z say they belong to a fandom that no one they personally know belongs to.
YouTube said it has thriving, passionate fan communities on its platform around topics like Indian Railways, miniatures and chess.