List of Australia’s most influential people on social media revealed

Australia’s list of the most influential people on social media has been revealed, with some surprise names.

The most influential people on Australia’s social media landscape have been revealed with actors, Twitch streamers, cricketers and a beauty vlogger making up the top 10.

Mediaweek teamed up with media intelligence and data analytics company Meltwater to create The Social Media Influence 100 to see who Australians looked to in order to influence opinions, fashion and conversations.

The list outlines the top 100 social media users who have an impact on the Australian public across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

This means that athletes, actors, singers and influencers were all able to land a spot on the list, with the index looking at following, reach, quality of engagement rate and audience quality to assign a Klear Score.

Gaming YouTuber LazarBeam took out spot two on Mediaweek’s Social Media Influence 100 list. Picture: Instagram

There are big names on the list who many would recognise – such as Hugh Jackman landing the most influential spot and radio star Abbie Chatfield at number 75 with a follower count of 808,000 – but there are also some lesser-known faces.

LazarBeam is a YouTuber from NSW’s Central Coast, with his channel blowing up thanks to videos he’s posted featuring popular video game Fortnite.

While many Aussies might have no idea about the world of gaming streaming, LazarBeam has more than 15 million followers – with the majority being 26-year-old men.

Meanwhile, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin placed third on the list – more than 10 spots above his sister Bindi who landed at spot 15 – with a follower count of 9.4 million. Most of his followers are from the US.

The original fitness influencer Kayla Itsines came in at 10th spot. Picture: Instagram

YouTuber and fashion entrepreneur Brittney Saunders was 43 on the list. Picture: Instagram

The list also showed there is a reason why getting onto a trend early can make your career flourish: Original Instagram fitness influencer Kayla Itsines ranked at number 10 on the list – four spots above Tammy Hembrow.

Beauty vlogger Lauren Curtis, who also got her start when social media content creation was in its early stages, ranked at number eight despite having a following of just 3.5 million.

Brittney Saunders, who got her start on YouTube in 2011 “just for fun” as a teenager before launching clothing business FAYT the label by creating social media buzz for it, landed at 43.

Lauren Curtis ranked in the top 10. Picture: Instagram

Just under Brittney was fitness influencer Steph Claire Smith – but her Keep It Cleaner co-founder Laura Henshaw did not make the top 100.

“I never thought anything of it at the time; it was only ever just for fun but it completely snowballed into my early 20s and brought me to where I am today,” she told news.com.au in November last year.

“I did cop a bit of backlash and bullying from peers in high school when making the videos, a few tears were shed when I’d go home some days, but something in me told me to just keep going no matter what people thought.

“Everything I have ever done has truly just come from a random idea. I see myself as a bit of a risk-taker and also believe everything happens for a reason.”

Reality star Martha Kalifatidis, who rose to fame after finding love on Married At First Sight, ranked in the top 50, meanwhile, former WAG Nadia Bartel just scrapped into the list at 99.