2026年线上文化、内容与创作者预测

CULTURE – CONTENT – CREATORS CONTENTS 2025 has been a seismic year for the creator economy. BUT DESPITE THE CHANGES, THISREMAINS TRUE… As platforms have evolved into endlessstreams of video content, we’re all scrollingmore than ever. And yet, true engagementand memorability is getting harderto achieve. Brands need to work with creators andinfluencers to keep them relevant within thiscycle. And they need to understand,reallyunderstand, what’s driving the trends andconversation at a macro level. A year we’ll look back on with an“oh yeah, that’s when things reallychanged” attitude. People use social media to engagewith what they think is important,interesting, and relevant. It was the year that AI well and truly becamepart of our everyday lives and thus, our mediaplans). It was the year that online creatorscemented their authority as this generation’scultural taste-makers and influencers. And itwas the year that social media became, well,less social. In 2026, this is only going to become moreevident as brands and creators battle forattention on increasingly saturated platforms.We know that audiences are fragmented, andwe know that creators and influencers area key element of being able to reach themeffectively, but the barriers to entry havegotten so low that it takes much more than asimple gifting campaign now to drive impact. So, as in our2025 Unfiltered Report, we’regoing to explore some of the key consumerand online cultural shifts we’ve seen this year,then dive into how we see them impacting2026 creator and content marketing plans. Creators create the content thatdrives trends and conversation. Influencers influence how thesebecome ingrained in online culture andcommunities. This encourages more sharing,engagement, creation… … and the cycle continues. “We aren’t going to spend this report justifying why youshould prioritize influencer marketing in 2026. If you’renot bought in by now, will you ever be? Instead we wantto unpack what’s shifted over the past 12 months froma creator, content and wider online culture perspective,then explore what this could mean for 2026. We don’tclaim to have all the answers or correct predictions (andanyone who says they do is lying!), but what we do haveis a ton of data, insights, and a chronically online team ofsocial media and creator obsessives. So this is our annualamalgamation of all of that, and we’re offering it outfor free.” Alex Burgess Global President, The Goat Agency REAdonFoR GoAT’S2026 UNFILTERED!→ CHAPTER 1 2025THROUGHA REARVIEWMIRROR 8dEFInInG CREAToR, ConTEnTAndCULTURE SHIFTS. ONE Creators becamemainstream media The creator economy truly reached maturityin 2025. The BBC reported that YouTubecontent creators contributed £2.2bn tothe UK economy the previous year, whilstcreator revenue from sponsored content inthe US is set to cross the $10 billion markin 2025, double that of 2021Statista. The factis, creators aren’t asking to be includedanymore in mainstream media. Theyaremainstream media. Traitors, Dancing With The Stars, or I’m aCeleb without at least one digital creator onthe line-up. Creators are even getting theirown documentaries and scripted serieson streaming platforms! Those at the topof their game hold equal cultural currencyand, arguably, more buying influence thantraditional celebrities. Note the online discourse and upset whenfashion creator, Wisdom Kaye, wasn’t invitedto this year’s Met Gala. People saw it as notonly a snub for Wisdom (who totals over 20million followers across his various platforms)but a misstep by the Met organizers.The debate over whether creators andinfluencers “deserve” to be included is over. Whether it’s Amelia Dimoldenberg hostingred carpets, Alex Cooper setting up herown podcast network and creative agency,or Bus Aunty Bemi appearing in a nationalBurberry campaign, creators are everywhere.Influencers like Jake Shane, Paige DeSorboand Hannah Berner, and Brittani Broskiare selling out major venues and you willnot see a major reality TV show like The THE DEBATE OVERWHETHER BLOGGERSAND INFLUENCERS“DESERVE” TO BEINCLUDED IS OVER. Unsurprisingly, this has coincided with theprofessionalization of creators themselves.According to WPP Media, content creatorsare expected to see revenue increase by20% in 2025, with this figure doubling to$376bn globally by 2030(WPP Media, 2025).And this revenue isn’t just coming fromsponsored social posts and brand deals. Theecosystem of a creator has grown to includemore than just social media platforms; itcould encompass everything from short formvideos on TikTok and Instagram, to long-form vlogs on YouTube, a weekly Substacknewsletter, a bi-weekly podcast, and eventheir own business or product. Of course, this doesn’t apply to every creator.Many nano and micro creators are justcreating content in their specific niche or oncertain platforms. But the overall mindsetaround what a “creator” is has shifted.It’s less about platforms and more aboutthe brand. ConTEnT CREAT