Controversial vloggers top list of 100 influencers
Written by News on 09/09/2019
The controversial gamer PewDiePie is at the top of a new list of 100 of the most influential people in digital media.
The Sunday Times has published a list of the top 100 influencers, based on social media engagement and those with the most committed fans.
PewDiePie, real name Felix Kjellberg, is number one, despite his past controversy, including criticism for using racist language during a live stream, and paying two people to hold an antisemitic sign in a video.
Disney and YouTube said they would stop sponsoring his channel after some of his videos used Nazi imagery and antisemitic jokes.
He also came under fire for calling fellow YouTuber Lilly Singh a “crybaby” when she spoke out about gender and wage equality.
The 29-year-old married his long-term girlfriend and fellow vlogger Marzia Bisognin in a lavish ceremony in Kew Gardens, southwest London, last month. He has more recently used his platform to raise money for charity.
Second on the list is Olajide William Olatunji, a rapper and amateur boxer known as KSI. The charity End Violence Against Women criticised him in 2015 for trivialising rape, but he said the comments were a product of his teenage years and not reflective of who he is now.
He has battled two other YouTubers in the ring, beating Joe Weller and then drawing against Logan Paul.
The most influential woman on the list is Saffron Barker, a lifestyle blogger who will be competing in the current series of Strictly Come Dancing.
She beats previous Strictly contestant, and brother of the influential Zoella, Joe Sugg, who sits in sixth place.
There is relatively little controversy in the rest of the top 10, which is dominated by gamers, despite the fact that in the overall top 100, there are 10 total. Half of all the gamers are in the top 10 overall.
The largest section dominating the list is the beauty influencers, of which there are 20.
The list has been compiled based on an algorithm created by Sara McCorquodale, which scores influencers out of 100.
It takes into account audience size, growth and engagement rate. Influencers were given a live score based on their social activity over time.
The Top 10:
- Felix Kjellberg – PewDiePie
- Olajide William Olatunji – KSI
- Craig Thompson – Mini Ladd
- Billy Wingrove and Jeremy Lynch – F2Freestylers
- Saffron Barker
- Joe Sugg – ThatcherJoeVlogs
- Chelsea Clarke – CC Clarke Beauty
- Callum Leighton Airey – Calfreezy
- Joshua Bradley – Zerkaa
- Colin Furze – colinfurze
(c) Sky News 2019: Controversial vloggers top list of 100 influencers
