Britain's top 100 digital influencers revealed
PewDiePie heads the list of Britain's top 100 influencers and Saffron Barker, a contestant on this year's Strictly Come Dancing, is the most influential woman on The Sunday Times list.
The world of digital influence is growing and is forecast to be worth £8bn by next year, with influencers, bloggers and vloggers commanding five-figure sums in exchange for brand investments.
The Sunday Times Influencer list uses an algorithm created by Sara McCorquodale that scores influencers out of 100.
The score takes into account audience size, growth and engagement rate and influencers were given a live score based on their social activity over time.
Named one of Time Magazine’s top 100 most influential people in 2016, PewDiePie – real name Felix Kjellberg – now tops the Sunday Times list as the most influential digital star.
The vlogger, author and entrepreneur covers gaming and digital culture on his YouTube channel, where he has more than 101 million subscribers.
However, he came under fire in early 2017 when he posted a video that featured two men, whom he’d hired for the stunt, holding up a sign that read Death To All Jews.
He caused controversy again in 2018 when he called fellow YouTuber Lilly Singh an “idiot” and a “crybaby” after she spoke out about gender and wage equality within digital media.
Second on the Sunday Times list is Olajide Olatunji, known as KSI.
A YouTuber, rapper and amateur boxer, he covers gaming, football and digital media.
The most influential woman on the Sunday Times list is lifestyle blogger Saffron Barker, coming in at number five.
The 19-year-old is appearing in this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing, following in the footsteps of fellow influencer Joe Sugg, who appeared in last year's series.
Sugg comes in at number six on the list, his ThatcherJoe YouTube channel draws in 8 million subscribers and his separate vlog channel, has amassed 3.6 million subscribers.
The top ten most influential stars are: