Some people use Twitter to try and change the world for the better. And in many cases, they've actually done it. Twitter was instrumental in raising public awareness for democratic protests in the Middle East and, more recently, Nigeria.
Others tweet for less honorable reasons, leading to the rise of undesirable behaviors, such as trolling and online hate. And Twitter is making us act in ways that we're still trying to figure out. Hate-following is the perfect example. A unique 21s-century phenomenon, hate-following is deciding to follow someone on social media, even though you know you disagree with what they say or think they’re a terrible person.
Why would anyone do that? Who knows? But most of us have indulged in a little bit of hate following. It's like picking at a scab or tonguing that sore in the back of your mouth - weird, disgusting, but also oddly satisfying.
But while the experts continue to debate the unexpected side effects of social media, businesses are using its reach to sell their products and services. And they're doing it the old-fashioned way by getting famous people to spread their messages.
So which celebs are making the most money in this new digital gold rush? Accredited Debt Relief decided to do some digging. Using a range of data collected from online sources, its researchers created several infographics on famous people making a fortune from paid Twitter ads.
Demi Lovato is the second-highest-paid celebrity endorsing stuff on Twitter. Lovato sent her first tweet in 2009 when she was 16-year-old. That same year, the singer's Here We Go Again album debuted at number one in the US charts, and the endorsements came rolling in. Since then, Lovato has made over $10million from tweeting about fitness wear, designer watches, PayPal, and the Jaguar F-Type.
The third spot goes to Kim Kardashian, the 21st-century celebrity who turned herself into the product. Her perfectly-manicured thumbs have made almost $7million by tweeting out product endorsements.
Former One Direction member Liam Payne and actor Neil Patrick Harris are two more names that feature in the top 10 Twitter Rich List. Lady Gaga also makes an appearance, although somewhat reluctantly. In a 2015 talk at the Yale School of Emotional Intelligence, Gaga told audience members that she didn't like using her name to sell stuff. "It feels shallow to my existence," continued Gaga. "I have a lot more to offer than my image. I don't like being used to make people money." But Gaga's high ideals haven't stopped her from sending out five ad tweets since becoming a global star. That's nowhere near as many as the other famous tweeter's making big bucks. Still, Gaga pocketed over $4million from the deals.
So it's no surprise that companies are paying these new celebrities serious money to endorse their products and services. Imane Anys, also known as Pokimane, has made $4million from sharing tweets promoting gamer swag, including t-shirts, hoodies, and even coasters.
Fortnite legend DrLupo is the second-highest-paid gamer posting ad tweets. The American Twitch streamer and YouTuber has made $2.8million from 212 ads.
Richard Tyler Blevins, better known by his online gaming alias Ninja, takes a quality over quantity approach to signing endorsement deals. The pro gamer and esports champion has made around the same amount of money as DrLupo. However, he's only sent out 86 paid ads since hitting the big time.
Canadian streamer Shroud is widely considered to be the best gamer of all time. His PUBG (that's Player Unknown Battle Ground, for those who don't know) exploits are the stuff of legend. Fellow streamer DrDisrespect called Shroud "a freak of nature with a keyboard and a mouse," and his rumored appearance at tournaments is enough to make experienced gamers stay at home for the day. But despite dominating the competition in every game he plays, Shroud is stuck at mid-table in the Twitter earning charts, picking up $1million from paid ad sponsors since 2013.
They include former reality TV star and fashion designer Lauren Conrad. As Twitter's biggest earning beauty and fashion influencer, Conrad has made $3million from 95 paid ads.
Second place Becky G has the same amount of followers as Conrad. But she's made 'just' $248,437 from her 18 paid tweets. After that, there's a big drop-off in earnings for beauty influencers on Twitter. The rest of the pack, which includes famous names like James Charles and Chloe Morello, have earned less than $100k, sharing an average of 7 paid ads each.
That's bad news for the man in second place, serial winner Christiano Ronaldo. One of the greatest footballers to ever step on the field, Ronaldo is obsessed with being number one at everything he does. But he's collected $500k less than Kaka from tweeting. In Ronaldo’s defence, he made his Twitter millions with just 10 paid ads, which is 12 less than Kaka. So is Ronaldo the real winner? He’d certainly think so.
Here's the full breakdown of all the highest-earning stars and celebrities on Twitter:
Others tweet for less honorable reasons, leading to the rise of undesirable behaviors, such as trolling and online hate. And Twitter is making us act in ways that we're still trying to figure out. Hate-following is the perfect example. A unique 21s-century phenomenon, hate-following is deciding to follow someone on social media, even though you know you disagree with what they say or think they’re a terrible person.
Why would anyone do that? Who knows? But most of us have indulged in a little bit of hate following. It's like picking at a scab or tonguing that sore in the back of your mouth - weird, disgusting, but also oddly satisfying.
But while the experts continue to debate the unexpected side effects of social media, businesses are using its reach to sell their products and services. And they're doing it the old-fashioned way by getting famous people to spread their messages.
So which celebs are making the most money in this new digital gold rush? Accredited Debt Relief decided to do some digging. Using a range of data collected from online sources, its researchers created several infographics on famous people making a fortune from paid Twitter ads.
The top 10 Twitter rich list
Nobody has made more money from tweeting than actor and comedian Kevin Hart. The Grudge Match and Ride Along star has earned an incredible $13,965,550 since setting up his Twitter account in 2009. Hart's 46 promoted tweets include plugs for his own shows and a range of products, such as electric toothbrushes. But despite amassing a fortune from tweeting, Hart will still be wondering what could have been. Several of Hart's historic tweets hit the press just weeks before he was due to present the 2019 Oscars. The tweet's culturally insensitive content cost Hart the gig, and who knows how much in potential twitter endorsements.Demi Lovato is the second-highest-paid celebrity endorsing stuff on Twitter. Lovato sent her first tweet in 2009 when she was 16-year-old. That same year, the singer's Here We Go Again album debuted at number one in the US charts, and the endorsements came rolling in. Since then, Lovato has made over $10million from tweeting about fitness wear, designer watches, PayPal, and the Jaguar F-Type.
The third spot goes to Kim Kardashian, the 21st-century celebrity who turned herself into the product. Her perfectly-manicured thumbs have made almost $7million by tweeting out product endorsements.
Former One Direction member Liam Payne and actor Neil Patrick Harris are two more names that feature in the top 10 Twitter Rich List. Lady Gaga also makes an appearance, although somewhat reluctantly. In a 2015 talk at the Yale School of Emotional Intelligence, Gaga told audience members that she didn't like using her name to sell stuff. "It feels shallow to my existence," continued Gaga. "I have a lot more to offer than my image. I don't like being used to make people money." But Gaga's high ideals haven't stopped her from sending out five ad tweets since becoming a global star. That's nowhere near as many as the other famous tweeter's making big bucks. Still, Gaga pocketed over $4million from the deals.
New kids on the block
Platforms like Youtube and Twitch have allowed gamers to turn their passion into a profession. Video game streams clock up millions of views, and the best content creators have similar follower counts on their socials.So it's no surprise that companies are paying these new celebrities serious money to endorse their products and services. Imane Anys, also known as Pokimane, has made $4million from sharing tweets promoting gamer swag, including t-shirts, hoodies, and even coasters.
Fortnite legend DrLupo is the second-highest-paid gamer posting ad tweets. The American Twitch streamer and YouTuber has made $2.8million from 212 ads.
Richard Tyler Blevins, better known by his online gaming alias Ninja, takes a quality over quantity approach to signing endorsement deals. The pro gamer and esports champion has made around the same amount of money as DrLupo. However, he's only sent out 86 paid ads since hitting the big time.
Canadian streamer Shroud is widely considered to be the best gamer of all time. His PUBG (that's Player Unknown Battle Ground, for those who don't know) exploits are the stuff of legend. Fellow streamer DrDisrespect called Shroud "a freak of nature with a keyboard and a mouse," and his rumored appearance at tournaments is enough to make experienced gamers stay at home for the day. But despite dominating the competition in every game he plays, Shroud is stuck at mid-table in the Twitter earning charts, picking up $1million from paid ad sponsors since 2013.
Social media influencers side hustling on Twitter
Instagram is the place to be for social media influencers. But many of the biggest earning Insta-celebs have got a side hustle going on with Twitter.They include former reality TV star and fashion designer Lauren Conrad. As Twitter's biggest earning beauty and fashion influencer, Conrad has made $3million from 95 paid ads.
Second place Becky G has the same amount of followers as Conrad. But she's made 'just' $248,437 from her 18 paid tweets. After that, there's a big drop-off in earnings for beauty influencers on Twitter. The rest of the pack, which includes famous names like James Charles and Chloe Morello, have earned less than $100k, sharing an average of 7 paid ads each.
The biggest earning sports stars on Twitter
Brazialian World Cup and Champions League Winner Kaka retired from football back in 2017. But he's still the king of tweeting sports stars, making $5million from 22 paid ads.That's bad news for the man in second place, serial winner Christiano Ronaldo. One of the greatest footballers to ever step on the field, Ronaldo is obsessed with being number one at everything he does. But he's collected $500k less than Kaka from tweeting. In Ronaldo’s defence, he made his Twitter millions with just 10 paid ads, which is 12 less than Kaka. So is Ronaldo the real winner? He’d certainly think so.
Here's the full breakdown of all the highest-earning stars and celebrities on Twitter:
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