Re-tweets at least. PeerIndex this week released its annual list of the UK’s 140 (see what they did there) most influential tweeters and the results are somewhat surprising. Liam Payne, apparently, has more clout than Harry Styles and Eleanor Calder’s (One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson’s girlfriend) musings are seemingly more significant than Ed Miliband’s – despite the fact anyone who isn’t one of these is unlikely to have ever heard of her. The list of surprising results goes on, with, for example, controversial 2012 X Factor contestant, Rylan Clarke, ranking ahead of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
While I have no doubt that the tweets of each member of One Direction are seen by a wide and varying audience – the idea that the influence of a reality TV show contestant is greater than the Chancellor of the Exchequer is slightly concerning and hard to genuinely believe. PeerIndex’s methodology for the Top 140 focused on the people responding to, retweeting or engaging with a certain tweeter. The number of followers a person has is not taken into account and a retweet from a fellow ‘influencer’ scores higher than that of an ‘average’ person. PeerIndex has removed any corporate or brand accounts, including newspapers, parody accounts, and journalists from the main national newspapers (although, for some reason, Times journalist Caitlin Moran makes it) in its assessment. Included, however, are transatlantic Brits, à la Piers Morgan, and will.i.am because, apparently, he’s always on TV here so he counts. Sure.
In 2012, PeerIndex joined forces with the Independent to compile a list of the 100 most influential Tweeters in the UK. A list that looks very different, with Richard Branson in pole position, and Sarah Brown and Alan Carr coming in at joint second (while Harry still made the list at number 22, Liam was nowhere to be seen – in case you’re interested). This research used a different methodology and, perhaps crucially, included a five-person expert panel to verify the results PeerIndex provided.
PeerIndex, and other tools like it, are often used by organisations and individuals to measure their social media presence. Where traditionally the reach of a company’s message could be calculated through column inches and press cuttings, in today’s fast paced and social world it’s a very different story. It would appear that measuring social media influence is a highly complex process with the results varying dependent on the methodology used. While the results of this year’s Top 140 may be slightly skewed given PeerIndex’s headline-serving methodology, it’s likely that consensus on the best way to measure social media will need to be reached at some point. Without it, it will be each to their own and that doesn’t hold much value in the long run.
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