Opinion makers
Opinion makers or influencers include bloggers, Vloggers, and social media influencers. The top ten blogs of 2017 are a mix of three political sites, motor racing, fashion, wedding and travel blogs. The most popular blog is a political blog called Guido Fawkes. Political blogs tend to provide alternative viewpoints for niche audiences. Social media influencers have appeared alongside traditional marketing, PR, and advertising. Ratings of the most influential people on Twitter and Instagram are regularly published by the PR industry. Vloggers on Youtube are also regarded as popular influencers. Social media influencers commonly communicate on the topics of fashion, beauty, sports and other consumer orientated topics.
Twitter is an important network for politicians and journalists. It is increasingly common for comments on Twitter to be incorporated into news coverage as a legitimate source. An increasing number of politicians and other public figures have been criticised, and in some cases forced to resign, due to comments made on social media.