When it comes to modern celebrities, very few have a community and vocal fanbase that can rival YouTube phenomenon PewDiePie. Since Felix Kjellberg registered his channel back in 2010, the creator has amassed a passionate and supportive following that has stuck with him throughout his highs and lows on the platform. As it turns out, in yet another display of the influential reach of YouTube celebrities, a recent survey has shown that PewDiePie’s popularity may be much wider than many might believe.
Asking Gen Z men and women about influencer platforms and their favorite influencers on them, a new study from Morning Consult has brought back some surprising results. Among discovering that 62% of Gen Z males cited following gaming influencers most frequently, they also discovered that 95% of the bracket recognized PewDiePie and 65% held a favorable opinion of the Youtuber. To put that into context, the survey also found that 95% knew Michael Jordan but only 55% held a favorable opinion, 84% knew Elon Musk and 57% were favorable, while 98% knew Justin Bieber but only 18% claimed to favor him.
In terms of generation Z, it appears PewDiePie is more popular than some of the biggest names in sports, science and music, once again highlighting the popularity that YouTube’s biggest creators have on younger demographics. Despite older audiences often deeming YouTube to be less significant than other forms of media, online creators like PewDiePie are proving there’s clearly a wide audience base on YouTube and other streaming platforms. Securing over a million subscribers recently, it’s clear Kjellberg has more influence than even some of this era’s biggest names.
The report also goes on to detail what Gen Z women favor in terms of influencers, 59% of the survey takers citing figures in beauty and skincare as their most followed names. While Beyonce and Zendaya, more traditional celebrities, headed up their most popular and favored influencers online, popular YouTuber Shane Dawson also made the list, with 86% recognizing him and 51% holding a favorable opinion. It’s clear both demographics hold online creators in the same regard as traditional celebrities.
Of course, both creators have made massive strides this year, with Shane Dawson producing a number of innovative new YouTube documentaries and PewDiePie getting Elon Musk and Doctor Phil to host Meme Review, as well as enjoying a brief stint as a focused Minecraft channel. The two clearly aren’t finished being high profile names just yet.
Source: Morning Consult