The most influential celebrities in the world right now

At least according to social media

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / August 21 2020

To be a celebrity is already one thing, with paparazzi, rolling awards seasons and endless talk show appearances, but what does it look like when a celeb reaches a status of fame so elusive that a team of experts are then able to calculate their level of influence?

Well, as it turns out, it looks like our Instagram feeds. Or at least that’s one of the elements of  data collected by The 2020 Influence Index; a report that has revealed the most influential people in the world right now based on social media presence.

The list for the ‘Top 10 Influential People Overall’ has some familiar faces that have definitely received a double-tap from us in the past. Rihanna slides in at number 10, sitting under Dwayne Johnson at number nine, while sisters Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian have taken the 8th and 7th spots respectively. Long-feuding (but now mended) pop divas Katy Perry and Taylor Swift sit side-by-side at number six and five on the list, while T-Swizz’s bestie, Selena Gomez, takes out 4th place.

And now, what we’ve all been waiting for, the top three. Drumroll please….

Christian Ronaldo, sits at third place and besides Dwayne Johnson, is actually one of the only athletes mentioned on the list, unfortunately the two top spots have been swindled by two of the biggest names in pop.

Ol’ faithful Justin Bieber loses out on first place to ex-Nickelodeon star and tiny soul goddess Ariana Grande. With adorable content that spans from her dogs, to great hair, to *superb* singing, it’s not hard to see why the people love Ari’s online presence so much, plus she seems like a pretty great lady IRL too, and we guess that doesn’t hurt either.

Ari is winning in all aspects of her life it seems. Her approach to exercise is really refreshing.

Main image credit: @arianagrande

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).