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What Netflix’s new streaming report reveals about how we view culture and identity through media

Media is more than just entertainment, but a driving force in how we shape the world and ourselves.

Author

Alexa Phillips
November 12, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Helping forward-thinkers shape what’s next in culture

For as long as I can remember, I’ve consumed some sort of media. I always have a TV show I’m watching or a book to recommend. Then it became my job.

Media is so much more than just something we consume for entertainment. It’s a lens through which we see ourselves, the culture we create, and the brands we support. The media we choose to consume helps us make sense of the world and broaden our understanding, whether a book, a podcast, or a show. 

In this issue:

  • 5 trends about media from Netflix Ads’s Still Watching report

  • How brands are capitalizing on media to reach audiences

  • Creating cultural relevance beyond the narrative

—Alexa

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Netflix Ads recently released Still Watching: 2025 Report on Streaming Audiences, a global look at how streaming is shaping culture, fandom, and the future of advertising.

The report surveyed Gen Z and Millennial global audiences on how they view streaming—specifically on Netflix. However, it revealed some broader themes around streaming media and how we view it through the lens of identity and culture. 

Exploration of identity

As humans, we are multidimensional and multipassionate beings, and that is expressed in the content we consume (I know for myself, I consume everything from F1 to Hallmark movies to baking competitions to “eat the rich” TV dramas). 

With the abundance of media, it’s never been easier to find something on the most niche topic. Media is the new subculture, with shows, newsletters, podcasts, and more that appeal to specific interests and intersections. Into vintage baseball cards from the 20th century? There’s a newsletter for that. Ever wonder about the history behind some of New York’s historic buildings and neighborhoods? There’s a podcast for that. 

The media we consume helps us explore and form our identity. According to the report, 80% of Gen Zs and 74% of Millennials agree that their favorite shows and movies help them understand and accept themselves on a deeper level. The best content is the kind we can see ourselves in and who we want to be. 

It serves as a tool for personal growth and expansion. The content we consume can inspire us to change our lives. Gen Zs and Millennials say that the shows and movies they consume have inspired them to change their life, whether it’s taking more risks (58%), pursuing new hobbies (59%), or trying a new fashion aesthetic (51%). Just look at the “quiet luxury” clothing trend that Succession inspired. 

For brands and creators, this means deeply understanding your audience and creating content that appeals to all aspects of their personality: daily life, desires, dispositions, relationship dynamics, etc. This creates more emotionally resonant content that lets the audience go, “OMG, this is ME!” 

Joy of discovery and curation

As consumers, we have the power to curate our media diet—the shows we want to watch, the newsletters we want to read, and the podcasts we want to listen to. The media we consume can shape our worldviews and perspectives. 

While algorithms and recommendations serve us with what we might like based on past consumption habits, it’s up to us to choose the media we want to consume. That said, we can create a media diet that appeals to all our interests, broadening our viewpoints, topics, and ideas. 

The best media isn’t found through search engines anymore—it’s found on private channels like podcasts, newsletters, and in communities. We have to actively seek it out. 

As consumers, we love the novelty of discovering new things—78% of survey respondents say they enjoy discovering new things in culture, including brands and products. It gives us a quick dopamine hit (and not to mention clout if you are an early adopter), the same feeling you might get from discovering a secret menu or stumbling upon a city’s best-kept secret. And bonus points if it turns out to be your favorite content to consume.

Yet, the more actively you seek out the content you want to consume, the more likely you are to stay loyal to it—subscribe to the newsletter, watch a new season, etc. 

Media as the basis for fandom

Where we often associate fandoms with musicians or sports teams, media properties are emerging as their own. Wicked. Dancing with the Stars. The Summer I Turned Pretty. White Lotus. 

Media fandoms allow audiences to build community and connection over the content they consume. From watercooler moments recapping the previous night’s episode or season binge to live reactions on social media and watch parties, media offers a shared collective effervescence that we all experience. 

And it’s not just in real time. Media brands are extending the narrative through additional brand experiences to keep audiences engaged before, during, and after it airs. Some examples include: 

  • Official podcasts for behind-the-scenes content (Only Murders in the Building)

  • Branded merchandise (Yellowstone)

  • Spin-off programming (Harry Potter Wizards of Baking)

  • Real-life experiences (The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience)

This expands the fandom and keeps media in the conversation long after it leaves the air. It creates a permanent presence for brands, further establishing the brands in consumers’ minds. 

Creating & participating in larger cultural moments

Media consumption helps us actively create and participate in larger cultural moments. From the viral “The summer I turned…” Instagram carousel trend to brand collaboration for highly-anticipated blockbuster movies, brands are capitalizing on the cultural relevance that the media creates.

The built-in fandoms create cultural moments around the media. With power in numbers, the fandom encouraged brand participation. This extends a media brand’s reach not just to fans but also to global audiences. Seventy-two percent of Gen Zs and Millennials say that when they love something, they tell everyone about it — both online and offline.

It creates a sense of FOMO for brands (and consumers). Everyone wants to be a part of the moment, especially when a piece of media has global reach and is the topic of conversation both on and offline. 

The prevalence of trending content and conversation around shows and movies encourages people to “cave” and watch them (I saw this a lot on Threads, especially around The Summer I Turned Pretty, where non-viewers asked followers whether the hype was worth it and whether they should check out the show). 

Brands know they have a built-in audience when they collaborate around a show or movie, with 71% of consumers more likely to buy from brands aligned with their favorite fandoms.

Engagement as emotional resonance

The more we emotionally connect with the media we consume, the more we invest in it. There’s a common argument that “attention spans have shrunk” and “no one wants to consume long-form content.” 

And while that might be scientifically true, it can also be interpreted as a lower tolerance for mediocre content. With so much content to consume, we have to determine what’s worth our time. That’s why the hook is so important—it’s what determines whether we stick around til the end or abandon it altogether. 

I’m willing to argue that we do have attention spans to consume longer content—but only if it’s engaging. We have no problem watching an hour-long drama or reading a 1,800-word article if it’s high-quality. In fact, 87% of survey respondents say they define quality based on personal connection to the show or movie.

It comes down to storytelling, structure, and premise. We’re more likely to engage with content that reflects underlying themes of what we value. That’s why common storytelling tropes like “the underdog” or “hero’s journey” resonate with audiences. We see ourselves being reflected in the media. 

Media also has the power to reflect macrosocial moods, tastes, and emotional desires. Our consumption cravings are influenced by factors such as time of year (holiday-related content), socioeconomic/political factors (movies like Civil War or Don’t Look Up), and other current events (movies like Dead Poets Society seeing an increase in viewership after Robin Williams’s death, for example). 

More than just what we consume

Media is a powerful tool in shaping how we think, feel, and see the world. We can’t think of media just as what we turn to for comfort and entertainment, but as a reflection of how we see ourselves and the world around us. It’s as much of a social commentary as art or design—but only if we pay enough attention.

ICYMI

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