Beyond The Algorithm
The mainstream internet is broken—and young, multicultural creatives are done waiting for Silicon Valley to fix it.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha aren't just digital natives. They're digital architects. Born into an online world shaped by extraction, surveillance, and exclusion, they're now designing new platforms, publications, and communities that reflect who they are: intersectional, global, creative, and fed up.
This isn't about logging off—it's about building better.
The Algorithm Isn't for Us
The big platforms—Instagram, TikTok, YouTube—sell discovery but often reward sameness. In 2023, 84% of Gen Z creators reported feeling like algorithms punished them for posting niche, identity-based, or political content. Creatives from marginalized communities are disproportionately shadowbanned, demonetized, or buried by opaque AI systems designed for ad revenue, not representation.
A study from The Mozilla Foundation found that Black and queer creators were 30–50% more likely to report suppression or unfair moderation on major platforms. And the TikTok "beauty filter" controversy? This is just one example of how algorithmic bias perpetuates Eurocentric ideals and punishes "difference."
So, what are young creators doing?
They're building their own internet.
Decentralized, Disruptive, and DIY
Let's talk about the digital spaces reshaping youth culture:
ZORA
A decentralized Web3 platform founded by creatives of color, ZORA lets artists sell, trade, and distribute their work with autonomy and transparency—without giving 50% to middlemen. It's a space where NFTs, zines, and fashion drops can coexist in community-run ecosystems.
Somewhere Good
Created by Naj Austin (Ethel's Club), this audio-based social app centers on people of color and prioritizes intentional, community-first dialogue over likes and metrics. It's built without public follower counts, encouraging authenticity over virality.
Offset Zine, Salty, and gal-dem (RIP to gal-dem, but the legacy lives)
Digital zines and indie publications are experiencing a renaissance. Projects like Offset Zine (UK) and Salty (US), among others, fill the gaps left by mainstream media, spotlighting trans voices, disabled creators, and multicultural perspectives through self-published art, essays, and visuals.
Discord & Geneva Channels
Private, curated, and hyper-local, Gen Z is turning away from public feeds and into encrypted group chats, creative servers, and collaborative hubs. For artists in Lagos, Seoul, Mexico City, and Detroit—this is where drops are announced, collabs are born, and culture is shaped, away from corporate oversight.
The New Rules of Digital Creativity
Multicultural youth are not just rejecting Big Tech—they're redefining what a "platform" is altogether. For them, success isn't scale—it's sovereignty.
Control over content and community.
Revenue is shared, not extracted.
Safe space over mass exposure.
Curation over algorithmic randomness.
A 2024 Deloitte Digital report showed that 68% of Gen Z creators want direct ownership over their audiences—and are more willing than any previous generation to leave legacy platforms behind.
This shift isn't fringe. It's foundational.
This Is the Internet They Deserve—And Are Building
Whether it's a TikTok refugee building their own queer artist directory in Manila, a trans collective using Substack to bypass gatekeepers, or a Black feminist coder in São Paulo launching a community-led AI tool—the message is clear:
The future of the internet is intersectional, decentralized, and unapologetically creative.
This isn't about "disruption."
It's about restoration.
It's about reclaiming digital space as cultural space.
Multicultural youth aren't just online.
They're making the online worth logging into.