2024年度文化与流行趋势报告

The emergence of thedigital franchise A lookback at the trending topics, top creators and songsof the year from across the globe, helping establish aperspective for the year to come. Theemergence of thedigital franchise As the end of 2024 arrives, it provides anopportunity to look back at the things thatwere popular during the year. The greateropportunity, though, is to look forward,informed by the things we’ve learned. Theyear-end Global Culture and Trends Reportreveals lists of the year’s trending topics, topcreators, and top songs across 12 countries.It will also examine cultural and creativeshifts represented within those lists, whichwill help establish a perspective for the yearto come. Reflecting on the past year on YouTubereveals another step in the evolution of popculture: our major shared experiences andcultural touchstones are now propelled byfranchises and properties originated bycreators and adopted by online communities.And the evolving way those cultural momentsare created, experienced and shared isdriving their popularity. Take, for example, Amazing Digital Circus,which appeared on 8 of 12 of our countries’trending topics lists. Over the course of ayear, Glitch released just three episodes ofcreator Gooseworx’s animated series, and inthat time, it has become arguably one of thisyear’s most influential pieces of intellectualproperty, driven there entirely by the sharedpassion of its creator and its newly-mintedglobal fandom. The Roblox fashion experience,Dress To Impress, which appearson 3 countries’ trending topicslists, experienced a rise toprominence just as swiftly. Althoughreleased just last November, itspopularity with creators and fans sent itsoaring above more traditional video gamereleases. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games appeared in 10 of our 12 countries’ trending topicslists, emphatically illustrating that non-digital-native franchises can thrive in a digitalculture. Many experienced the Olympics through highlights and memes (of whichAussie b-girl Raygun was simultaneously both) and creators. One creator in Brazil,CazeTV, was even granted the rights to stream some events. A similar embrace of digital culture benefited Deadpool & Wolverine, which placedits stars in franchises like Hot Ones. Hitting 5 of 12 of our trending topics lists, it alsofound enduring relevance through the Deadpool dance Shorts trend and now anEmote in Fortnite. Creator-driven media franchises like Amazing Digital Circus and Roblox’s Dress toImpress coexist alongside legacy franchises like Deadpool & Wolverine andThe Olympics. The pace at which culture evolves is being set online andaccelerating at a pace that privileges the digital media properties andfranchises that emerge from within. As more of our broadly shared cultural experiences are defined by digitalcreation and participation, our wholepop culture will be increasinglyinfluenced by global, digital-nativefranchises and the traditionalmedia franchises capable ofchanneling the dynamics ofdigital fandom. From indie animation to video podcasts, 2024 has shown that the moments breaking throughtoday are increasingly driven by original, online franchises that attract devoted fandoms andoperate outside of traditional release schedules, creating new opportunities to engage viewersbeyond traditional formats and verticals. Here’s how this came to life this year in the US. Indie animators are makingmainstream, must-watch hitsonline that fans are turning intofull-fledged franchises. Indie animation has long had a home onYouTube, with storytime animators using themedium to connect with viewers throughpersonal tales. This provided a strongfoundation for what we’ve seen over thepast year: Animated narrative series withrich worlds, characters, and storylines areexpanding their reach beyond individualchannels by building participatoryfandoms at astonishing speeds. 25B+ Take the seriesAmazing DigitalCircus, from the channel Glitch. There have been over25 billion views of videosrelated to Amazing DigitalCircus, excluding theseries’ episodes. According to a SmithGeiger study, 22%of online US 14-24-year-olds said theyhad heard of the show in May 2024, onlytwo episodes into its run. With only threeepisodes released,Netflixis licensing theepisodes for air the same day they premiereon YouTube. This rapid breakthroughis, in part, attributable to the show’s fancommunity, who started creating ancillaryanimations, explainers, and music videosin the lengthy gaps between episodes. Infact, there have been over 25 billion viewsof videos related to Amazing Digital Circus,excluding the series’ episodes. Source YouTube data, Global, lifetime. But it isn’t just multi-episode onlinefranchises that are seeing success byengaging fan creation. One-off episodeslike this year’s animated videoBasics inBehaviorresulted in some of the mostsearched-for content of the year as fans spunoff storylines of their own. Podcasts are the places to seeand be seen, shifting whereviewers turn