The influencer industry is very big business today. Experts say it is worth $250 billion, and they think it will grow to almost $500 billion by 2027. The 50 top influencers on the 2024 Forbes list are riding this growth. The influencers on this year's list earned almost $720 million in the last 12 months - that's $20 million more than in 2023. In the last year, these top influencers have added over 100 million new followers to their total of more than 2.7 billion followers on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
These influencers are using their social media power to become business owners, not just entertainers. Famous influencers like MrBeast, Khaby Lame, the D'Amelio sisters, the Paul brothers, and Emma Chamberlain all have their own brands selling things like hamburgers, cooking tools, shoes, energy drinks, and coffee. Other influencers like Addison Rae Easterling, Matt Rife, and Amelie Zilber have also moved from social media to mainstream media.
The influencer industry has changed a lot. It used to be just about taking selfies, but now some influencers are even building their own production studios. Dhar Mann and Rhett & Link have companies with over 100 employees making high-quality content. Tech expert Marquess Brownlee runs his YouTube channel from a warehouse in New Jersey.
To find the world's top 50 influencers, Forbes looked at data on their estimated earnings, number of followers, engagement rates, and business activites, with help from the influencer marketing company Influential. These 50 social media stars are using their huge audiences and loyal fans to turn social media into a billion-dollar industry.
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