In the modern digital world, social media reach is power. Social media can also be an equalizer of power. It’s true that many celebrities boast large followings across platforms, but social media has also enabled previously unknown personalities to turn YouTube or TikTok fame into veritable star power and influence. The people with the most followers on Twitter, for example, have a massive platform to spread their messages, while those with large, engaged followings on Instagram are an advertiser’s dream sponsor partner.
However, it’s not only celebrities that dominate social media. Personalities that started on one social media platform and developed massive followings. Politicians are also prominent influencers. As most fans and advertisers know, not all social media accounts and followings are homogenous. Many influencers with relatively small followings have more consistent engagement, and are often able to demand high advertising fees as a result.
Conversely, most social media platforms are reckoning with a severe glut of fake accounts or bots that inflate follower counts, impacting everything from celebrities and politicians to personalities and businesses. Regardless, social media has become a mainstay platform (or soapbox) for today’s cultural influencers. Billions of people turn to social media for news, engagement, recommendations, and entertainment, and new platforms are always on the rise.
Here are the top 20 most followed personalities across all major platforms combined.
Rank | Name | Total followers |
1. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 517 million |
2. | Justin Bieber | 455 million |
3. | Ariana Grande | 429 million |
4. | Selena Gomez | 425 million |
5. | Taylor Swift | 361 million |
6. | Dwayne Johnson | 342 million |
7. | Katy Perry | 338 million |
8. | Kylie Jenner | 333 million |
9. | Rihanna | 332 million |
10. | Kim Kardashian | 319 million |
11. | Lionel Messi | 298 million |
12. | Neymar | 283 million |
13. | Shakira | 282 million |
14. | Jennifer Lopez | 277 million |
15. | Beyoncé | 267 million |
16. | Ellen DeGeneres | 260 million |
17. | Miley Cyrus | 235 million |
18. | Nicki Minaj | 232 million |
19. | Barack Obama | 221 million |
20. | Will Smith | 217 million |