Youth is increasingly learning in non-conventional contexts, such as social networks or
video platforms, courses, and tutorials. This research aims to diagnose the role of participatory culture,
digital resources, social networks, and, specifically, YouTube, in learning processes and the acquisition
of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills, specifically in mathematics,
also analyzing the role of youtubers and, in contrast, teachers, both learning leaders in the formation
of these skills. In order to accomplish this, mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) were used,
based on a survey applied to 4845 Italian adolescents, as well as a content analysis of the videos and
YouTube channel of the Italian educational influencer Elia Bombardelli, one of the most followed and
best rated in this country. Also, an in-depth interview has been applied to 12 Italian secondary school
teachers. Among the main findings, it is highlighted that all adolescents value YouTube videos as a
key resource to improve their school performance, rating youtubers better than teachers. However,
it is remarkable that in the processes of learning and acquisition of STEM competencies, they prefer
to interact with teachers rather than with youtubers.