Mashable 101: The creators shaping the internet in 2026
By
Crystal Bell
Digital Culture Editor
Crystal Bell is the Culture Editor at Mashable. She oversees the site's coverage of the creator economy, digital spaces, and internet trends, focusing on how young people engage with others and themselves online. She is particularly interested in how social media platforms shape our online and offline identities.
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Credit: Ian Moore/Mashable/Getty Images
Valkyrae’s career traces the evolution of internet fame over the past decade. What began on Twitch has expanded into something broader, spanning content, business, and entertainment.
She's amassed more than 10 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, making her one of the most recognizable figures in streaming. Even after shifting platforms, her presence on Twitch remains significant, with more than 1.5 million followers, a reminder of her early role in shaping the space as one of its most visible women.
Gaming is still central to her content, but it's no longer the only focus. Her work now moves fluidly across formats, from livestreaming to brand-building to on-screen appearances.
Over the past year, Valkyrae has continued to expand that footprint in concrete ways. She remains a co-owner of 100 Thieves, co-hosts the podcast Wine About It with QTCinderella, and has appeared on-screen in projects such as Scare Tactics. She also continues to land major brand partnerships across gaming, beauty, and lifestyle, while maintaining a consistent presence in streaming and collaborative content. Each move extends her reach while reinforcing her identity as more than a streamer. She operates as a brand.
Mashable Trend Report
What makes her trajectory notable is its stability. Many creators struggle to maintain relevance as platforms shift. Valkyrae has adapted without losing the audience that first supported her. Longevity depends on evolution, but that evolution has to feel coherent. Audiences will follow if the shift makes sense.
Valkyrae has managed that balance. She's grown without feeling disconnected from her origins.
And that's what has allowed her to last.
From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage or see more of this year’s Mashable 101 to discover the internet's most exciting voices.
Crystal Bell is the Culture Editor at Mashable. She oversees the site's coverage of the creator economy, digital spaces, and internet trends, focusing on how young people engage with others and themselves online. She is particularly interested in how social media platforms shape our online and offline identities.
She was formerly the entertainment director at MTV News, where she helped the brand expand its coverage of extremely online fan culture and K-pop across its platforms. You can find her work in Teen Vogue, PAPER, NYLON, ELLE, Glamour, NME, W, The FADER, and elsewhere on the internet.
She's exceptionally fluent in fandom and will gladly make you a K-pop playlist and/or provide anime recommendations upon request. Crystal lives in New York City with her two black cats, Howl and Sophie.
