In putting together its 25 Most Influential on the Internet list, Time magazine selected a group whose digital leadership flows from diverse sources, including music. BTS, Rihanna and Kanye West represent the music world and join activists such as Shaun King, online music personalities such as Baby Ariel, and others who impact millions in areas as diverse as fitness, gaming, internet fundraising, and comedy.
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Notably, K-pop breakthroughs BTS have their many million followers and the hits-generating fans came in for a shout out. The article's description missed the inner culture of BTS fandom, such as its modeling of respectful behavior and the sincerity with which they unite behind RM and his crew's social justice belief system and psychological caring.
The choice and reasoning that put Rihanna on the list has hard statistics behind it, primarily her reach on Instagram and her impact on Snapchat's stock price. What the writer referred to as her "ability to listen" and connect to underserved segments abbreviates the tremendous solidarity her fans and admirers feel because of her credibility. Her business side, with Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty, stands out as well as how her social media amplifies marketing messages, but this is not a robber baron making calculations in a ledger. As a woman whose many talents have always included being herself, Rihanna has established a new style based on casual elegance with optional decidedly high-fashion touches. Her products do reach underserved markets but fashion and beauty mean more than dollars and her leadership has always felt like her personal statement.
Billboard has a nice summary and mentioned Desus & Mero and Busy Philipps as entertainment-relevant big names. The game of being a 'name' is changing and the followers of these digital leaders are engaged in an interactive dialog with their "influencers" in a way that has never existed at this scale. Music has gotten much bigger than screaming fans in a stadium. For example, Baby Ariel's video "Aww" went live last December and has more than 43 million views; millions of those are fans who care, waiting for what comes next.
