Social media is growing and changing constantly and whether you agree if that’s a good or bad thing, the social media moguls spearheading their respective platforms can attest to that.

Forbes released its 2023 list of the 50 top social media creators who are “turning followers into fortunes.” The list showcases 50 honourees on the list that took their combined 2.6 billion followers to bring in an estimated US$700mil in earnings, which is up more than 20% from 2022′s US$570mil score, according to the business magazine.

To rank the world’s top social media stars, Forbes analysed data based on the estimated earnings, follower counts, engagement rates and entrepreneurial activities of creators with the creator marketing firm, Influential.

Influencer Mikayla Nogueira, who landed a spot in the top 50 list, is a Massachusetts native who has more than 17 million followers across TikTok and Instagram with the help of her successful makeup tutorials and heavy Boston accent. She currently has US$7mil in earnings, according to Forbes.

“Over 13% of them interact with her content, making her the fourth-most engaging creator on this list. Her audience’s loyalty has played a key role in her earning US$2.4mil last year from deals with Charlotte Tilbury, L’Oreal and CVS,” Forbes wrote about Nogueira.

Overall, the makeup guru landed 36th overall on the top 50 list.

Taking the first place spot is notorious social media titan, MrBeast, lesser known as Jimmy Donaldson.

“With more than 300 million followers, MrBeast’s fan base is nearly as large as the US population. MrBeast’s power and popularity stem from his high production videos and stunts that include surviving in Antarctica for 50 hours and building a Wonka chocolate factory,” Forbes wrote.

Rounding out the remainder of the top 10 spots were social media figureheads Olajide Olatunji (KSI), Jake Paul, Rhett & Link, Charli D’Amelio, Logan Paul, Elliot Tebele (F*ckJerry), Emma Chamberlain, Matt Rife and Brent Rivera.

 - TNS