399. YPulse. YouTube Youth.
February 19, 2026
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In this episode, MaryLeigh Bliss, Chief Content Officer at YPulse, presents findings from two reports: the Social Media Monitor tracking longitudinal platform trends and a dedicated study of YouTube's role in Gen Z's media ecosystem. While marketers have concentrated on TikTok's meteoric rise, YouTube has maintained consistent usage as a multimodal platform that defies single-category classification.
Highligts from the episode include:
Young people use an average of six social platforms, each serving distinct purposes. TikTok dominates trend-tracking, Instagram handles celebrity updates, Facebook powers Marketplace shopping, while YouTube functions as search engine, entertainment source, and learning tool simultaneously.
YouTube has been present throughout Gen Z's entire lives, creating trust advantages newer platforms lack. YouTubers rank as the most trusted public figures among young people, ahead of police, politicians, and athletes.
Reposting has surged as engagement behavior, potentially signaling a shift away from everyone-creates culture toward more selective participation and curation.
Both TikTok and YouTube now pursue similar entertainment purposes through short-form video, but YouTube's intentional viewing patterns and established creator relationships differentiate the experience.
Shopping integration across platforms reflects young people's desire for frictionless purchases. TikTok Shop leads current usage, but 75% express interest in buying directly from YouTube as the platform rolls out live streaming commerce features.
YPulse is the leading authority on Millennials and Gen Z: tweens, teens, college students and young adults. They provide strategic insight to companies and organizations via their subscription-based syndicated research content as well as their custom research and consulting services. Staffed with a cross-functional team of researchers, marketers, writers, and technologists, they give their clients a 360-degree view of what it’s like to be a Millennial or Gen Z today.
As Chief Content Officer, MaryLeigh Bliss oversees YPulse’s syndicated products. Her role also involves acting as a culture and youth insights expert, consulting with brands to identify actionable insights, align young consumer strategy, and layer generational and youth knowledge over data findings.
MaryLeigh has worked with a range of brands, including Facebook, Hampton, Bravo, HBO, Target, Best Buy, and Gap, and has been quoted as a youth insights authority by publications including The New York Times, Digiday, Business Insider, and Adweek. She has appeared as a Gen Z and Millennial expert on Bloomberg News, Fortune, and NPR Marketplace, and been a speaker at many off-sites and conferences. MaryLeigh’s interest in youth culture originated from her love of YA literature and pop culture anthropology, and she is continuing her passion for decoding and demystifying the next generations of consumers at YPulse.
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MaryLeigh Bliss
YPulse