Young fans describe their comfort creators as akin to emotional security blankets. I understand their humor and how they work,” she wrote.

“I love Vinny and the Grumps partly because I know what to expect from them. Saunders said that her favorite comfort creators are a YouTuber duo called the Game Grumps and another named Vinny Vinesauce, and that she’ll put on their old videos as “calming background noise” while doing other things. “By watching a video, you are able to take your mind off of whatever may be occupying it and change the emotional environment you are in.” “To me, a ‘comfort creator’ is someone whose content brings people comfort, peace, relaxation or other feelings of happiness,” Alayna Saunders, 21, a student at James Madison University, wrote in an email.

But for many young people, TV doesn’t offer the same level of intimacy as digital content creators, many of whom pump out hours of content every day while interacting directly with their viewers on social media and in the comments section of their streams. This television dynamic also exists among young viewers Gen Z’s obsession with “The Office” is well documented. “With the terror of a global pandemic sending anxiety sky high and rendering TV one of the few safe entertainment outlets, the desire for comfort has become particularly noticeable,” she wrote. In a July 2020 New York magazine article titled “Welcome to Peak Comfort TV,” Kathryn VanArendonk described how pandemic-era audiences were turning away from brutal prestige dramas like “Breaking Bad,” and toward lighthearted fare like “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “Floor Is Lava,” a goofy game show. The deprivations of the last 18 months have left people of all ages seeking mental salvation from their media diet. It’s a new twist on an age-old phenomenon: Relaxing has always been one of the primary reasons people read, watch TV or consume media of any kind. They’re “the people who pull you out of like that sad place and give you some inspiration, some hope and some joy.” “Your favorite creators might be people whose content you really enjoyed, but your comfort creator would be more like your go-to when you’re feeling down,” she said. Not all YouTubers scratch the comfort creator itch, according to Ms. Galamaga recently posted a clip listing her own favorite “ comfort content,” which included traditional standbys - TV shows like “The Office” and “The New Girl” - alongside popular streamers like JackSepticEye and Valkyrae, who often record themselves playing video games.

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