Rachel Levin, Bethany Mota Rank as Top Social Media Stars Too Young to Drink
The online beauty gurus score the highest engagement among social influencers under 21, trumping big broadcast names like Stephen Colbert, according to a Zefr metric
These top social stars can’t order a beer yet, but their audience influence could push the major Hollywood stars they trounce to start drinking.
Beauty and lifestyle YouTubers Rachel Levin and Bethany Mota top a new ranking of highest-engagement stars, with scores that trump major broadcast celebrities, according to a new list measuring their online influence.
The ranking was developed by Zefr, a company that helps brands manage their intellectual property on YouTube and other sites. It developed its trending engagement data to measure how much fan interaction an influencer will drive on future posts.
“All the 20 under 21 had higher average engagement than the likes of a big known broadcast talent like Stephen Colbert,” Rick Song, Zefr’s global head of media solution sales, told TheWrap.
He gave the example of Rebecca Black, which concludes the list at No. 20. Black’s 146,000 score — that is, the average engagement she gets across social platforms every time she’s posting — far outstrips Colbert’s average 82,000. Jimmy Fallon‘s 284,000 average is trumped by 17 of the young online stars in the ranking. Top ranked Levin has an engagement score of 2.7 million.
“This has been consistent data we have seen: Just because you have a very high reach doesn’t mean you have high engagement,” Song said.
The full ranking includes other lifestyle vloggers like Meg DeAngelis, comedy sketch entertainers like Kian Lawley and Nash Grier, and Vine celebrities like Lele Pons and “Jack and Jack” duo Jack Johnson and Jack Gilinsky.
9 Overnight Internet Sensations: From 'Alex From Target' to 'Hot Mug Shot Guy' (Photos)
Alex Lee, a 16-year-old bag boy at a Dallas Target store, became known simply as "Alex From Target" after a customer snapped his picture and posted it on Twitter. Lee became an overnight Internet sensation and landed a one-on-one with Ellen DeGeneres.
Alex Minsky went viral after his modeling shots hit the web. An Afghanistan vet, Minksy lost a leg after his Humvee ran over a roadside bomb. Instead of hiding his prosthesis, Minsky flaunted it on camera. His pictures became so popular, the California native was invited to New York to sit down with the ladies of "The View."
Chris Crocker, the boy in front of bedsheets tearfully begging people to “Leave Britney (Spears) alone!" got his big break after his video garnered an astounding 4 million views in two days. The YouTube clip inspired dozens of parodies by big-name celebs. He signed a show deal with Logo TV and has since proudly made a transition into gay porn.
Antoine Dodson was interviewed by a local TV crew after an intruder attempted to rape his sister. The interview became an Internet sensation and even got its own auto-tuned song by The Gregory Brothers which sold thousands of copies on iTunes.
Jeremy Meeks became "The Hot Mug Shot Guy" after he was arrested on gun and gang-related charges and his mugshot was posted on the Stockton, California police department's website. Women swooned, and Meeks made the news and reportedly signed a modeling contract worth $30,000.
Sean Kory hit it big after his own mug shot hit the web. Kory was arrested in Santa Cruz, California in November for allegedly assaulting a man dressed up as a Fox News reporter at a Halloween parade.
Chris Kohrs, also known as "The Hot Cop of San Francisco," became a global obsession earlier this year after a stranger on the street snapped his photo. A Facebook page started by one of his fans garnered an eye-popping 50,000 followers in less than a week.
EJ Johnson, son of Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, went viral after paparazzi caught him coming out of a West Hollywood restaurant clutching a Birkin bag while holding hands with a male friend. Johnson landed a lead role in E!'s "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills."
Tardar Sauce, better known as "Grumpy Cat," became a Tumblr sensation, soon landing the feline its own movie.
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Teen Alex Lee became a star after an off-the-cuff photo became a social media phenomenon. Here’s TheWrap’s list of people who rode the wave of viral popularity.
Alex Lee, a 16-year-old bag boy at a Dallas Target store, became known simply as "Alex From Target" after a customer snapped his picture and posted it on Twitter. Lee became an overnight Internet sensation and landed a one-on-one with Ellen DeGeneres.
