By Mashable | Created at 2026-06-02 12:59:37 | Updated at 2026-06-07 00:27:44
4 days ago
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.
on June 2, 2026
Credit: Ian Moore/Mashable/Getty Images
If you've spent any time on TikTok in the past year, you've likely seen a Vanillamace edit, even if you didn't realize it at the time. Her reactions have become fodder for fan edits, memes, and increasingly specific internet shorthand, the kind of creator language that spreads far beyond her own page.
The 29-year-old creator, whose first name is Emily and who is often called Vanilla by fans, first broke through in 2025 with her viral "blind box saga," an epic, unhinged TikTok edit in which she kept pulling the one Skullpanda keychain from Pop Mart she didn't want. The video racked up more than 15 million views and helped launch her into a new tier of creator visibility.
Since then, her audience has expanded rapidly across platforms, including more than 5 million followers on TikTok, over 1.7 million YouTube subscribers, and nearly 900,000 followers on Twitch, where she has become one of the most visible women on the app.
What makes Vanillamace so enjoyable to watch is her ability to make almost anything entertaining. While she streams a variety of cozy, quirky, and simulation-style games — whether that's Waterpark Simulator, Pokémon Pokopia, Tomodachi Life, or whatever strange obsession has captured her attention that week — some of her most memorable content comes from everyday events. Frequent IKEA trips, thrift hauls, collector hunts, convention outings, and even routine shopping runs become must-watch entertainment thanks to her willingness to fully commit to the bit.
A passionate collector, Vanilla also brings viewers along for the excitement of chasing Sonny Angels, Pop Mart figures, Pokémon cards, and other collectibles, capturing the thrill and occasional absurdity of collector culture, which she described as "girl gambling" in a 2025 interview with Mashable.
Mashable Trend Report
Beyond her interests, her biggest strength is her personality. She's funny, candid, and unafraid to speak her mind, often standing on business and expressing opinions that other creators might shy away from. Her content feels driven by a real person rather than a carefully curated online persona, which gives even the most mundane moments a sense of authenticity.
This past year, that voice has translated into brand collaborations with brands such as Voight and Boy Smells, signaling her shift from breakout creator to established digital star. She has also begun hosting IRL events and using her platform to fundraise for The Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline, showing how her influence extends beyond the internet.
Add in recurring appearances from her cats, Chai and Miso, and her content manages to feel both deeply online and surprisingly grounded.
In a creator economy obsessed with perfection, Vanillamace is succeeding by letting her audience see — and be part of — the chaos.
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.
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