Crystal Bell is the Digital Culture Editor at Mashable, where she leads coverage of the creator economy, internet culture, and digital life. Her work focuses on the people, platforms, and communities shaping modern entertainment, from YouTube creators and livestreamers to fandoms, social media trends, and the evolving relationship between technology and culture. She also oversees the Mashable 101, the publication's annual list recognizing the internet's most influential creators.
Previously, she was the entertainment director at MTV News, where she helped expand the brand's coverage of fan culture, K-pop, and the internet's most passionate communities. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, 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.
Areas of Expertise
Author Recommended
How 'KPop Demon Hunters' became a love letter to K-pop and its fandom
Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans unpack the visual cues, idol archetypes, and K-pop references that shaped Netflix’s breakout animated hit.
By Crystal Bell
Le Sserafim on tech, style, and staying connected in a digital world
Sony’s latest collaboration with Le Sserafim merges cutting-edge audio tech with K-pop style, redefining the relationship between music and self-expression.
By Crystal Bell
'Suzume' review: Makoto Shinkai's healing journey is stunningly personal
The feel-good disaster flick from the anime auteur is strongest when the hero puts herself first.
By Crystal Bell
Latest From Crystal Bell
Why is the internet rooting against Argentina?
The backlash is bigger than football, drawing on a fraught history and competing visions of Latin American identity.
By Crystal Bell
The World Cup is getting its own YouTube creator all-star game, led by iShowSpeed
The livestreamed exhibition match will bring YouTube stars and FIFA legends to Central Park
By Crystal Bell
The unconventional advice creator Michael Tchao swears by
The food creator shares the lessons he's learned building a creator business
By Crystal Bell
Connor Storrie's Emmy nod delights 'Heated Rivalry' fans
'Actorboy222' would be proud.
By Crystal Bell
iShowSpeed World Cup stream captures alleged racist abuse, prompting FIFA investigation
The streamer was confronted by an Argentina supporter during a heated World Cup match.
By Crystal Bell
Erling Haaland makes the Majin Buu meme official
The Norwegian legend finally weighs in on his Dragon Ball Z alter ego
By Crystal Bell
Alberta Tech on what AI gets right and where it still falls short for creators
The former Google engineer explains how she uses AI in her workflow, why it's terrible at comedy, and where creators should draw the line
By Crystal Bell
Claire's is betting Gen Alpha wants creators, not celebrities
Claire's is reinventing the mall staple for a generation raised on Roblox and YouTube.
By Crystal Bell
The ultimate Taylor Swift wedding playlist: 13 songs fit for the big day
The soundtrack to the internet's biggest love story.
By Crystal Bell
Austin Evans says the biggest creator mindset shift is learning to think beyond the next video
The tech creator reflects on 17 years on YouTube, the influx of AI, and the metrics that matter now
By Crystal Bell
Natalie Tran says content creation made her a better filmmaker
The creator shares how sketch comedy sharpened her directing skills and why creators no longer have to wait for Hollywood
By Crystal Bell
Is Taylor Swift getting married this weekend? Everything we know.
Are you ready for it?
By Crystal Bell
How Jessica McCabe turned 'How to ADHD' into a trusted online resource
From organizing her own thoughts to working with researchers, the creator shares how her channel has evolved over the past decade
By Bethany Allard and Crystal Bell
Starbucks is paying baristas to make TikToks. Expect more brands to follow.
Employee-generated content is quickly becoming one of the creator economy's fastest-growing marketing strategies
By Crystal Bell
How Tubby Nugget grew from a doodle into a beloved internet brand
Plus, the Tubby Nugget x 'Obsession' crossover that almost became a reality
By Crystal Bell
How MeganPlays has adapted through every era of YouTube
From finding a niche to navigating changing algorithms, the gaming creator shares the lessons that have shaped her career
By Crystal Bell
What today's creators want aspiring creators to know
Captured during three days of creator conversations at VidCon
By Crystal Bell
How Mikey Angelo turns the internet's chaos into catchy pop songs
From a YouTube superfan to one of social media's go-to pop culture commentators
By Crystal Bell
The Wassabi Brothers say creator success isn't about subscribers anymore
The creator siblings discuss adapting to new platforms and building community over chasing metrics
By Crystal Bell
Cassey Ho tells Mashable her biggest advice for content creators
"Make sure that it means something to you as well."
Michelle Phan tells Mashable how much VidCon has changed since she first attended
"Everyone's making content, and I think that's a beautiful thing."
Markiplier chats to Mashable about being a VidCon Hall of Famer
"I don't really mind awards, but I really, really, really care about people making things."
By Crystal Bell
The creator strategies still working in an AI-saturated internet
What even is AI slop? Experts weigh in.
By Crystal Bell
VidCon Hall of Fame awards get emotional as Markiplier, pioneers accept awards
Before the creator economy had a name, they were already building it
By Crystal Bell
