According to YouTube, the mainstream isn’t dead. It just looks different than it used to.

In an era defined by siloed feeds and hyperspecific recommendations, numerous commentators have argued that the mainstream is a thing of the past. Cultural touchstones like the song of the summer are stuck in the previous decade, and the monoculture that once united society appears to be fading.

If you’re worried that common ground has disappeared beneath your feet, YouTube is here to offer some reassurance. The platform’s latest Culture and Trends Report is an examination of the mainstream as it exists today. After gathering data in tandem with NRG, YouTube came to a defiant yet expected conclusion: The mainstream is still alive, and it flows through YouTube.

The report doesn’t deny that culture is more fractured than it’s ever been. YouTube and NRG found that 67% of 14-to-44-year-olds are watching more channels “no one else they personally know is watching” compared to five years ago. And compared to 2017, the general awareness of top theatrical releases is down nearly 10%.

That dropping awareness, however, also heightens the factors that inform the new mainstream. The percentage of “Big Fans” of those theatrical releases is up 4% since 2017, and cultural conversations are verging into superfan territory. YouTube report cites cultural mainstays like Roblox and anime, which have harnessed the passion of niche fans to evolve into mainstream phenomena.

YouTube facilitates the discussions that catalyze those cultural evolutions. For example, the Backrooms franchise began on Kane Parsons’ YouTube channel, where fans unpacked deep lore and rich context to build a passionate community. Now, Backrooms is a hit in movie theaters, and that wouldn’t have happened without YouTube’s influence.

“Digital platforms fundamentally transform how audiences experience what they encounter,” reads the report. “Digital culture is inherently participatory, and properties that actively embrace these dynamics can accelerate into the mainstream from unexpected places.”

As that particular cultural roadmap becomes more common, YouTube’s impact becomes more pronounced. NRG found that 65% of 14-to-44-year-olds agree with the idea “that something feels more real or legitimate when [it shows up] on YouTube.”

YouTube can’t bring back the old monoculture all by itself, but it has enough scale to create an updated form of culture. There are now channels with more than 500 million subscribers, and that’s enough people in one place to build a new mainstream all on their own.