Creator influence starkly different around world, says new Reuters study

Creators and influencers are becoming central to the way people consume news, according to a new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ). The study, Mapping News Creators and Influencers on Social and Video Networks, draws on survey data from 24 countries and expands on the 2025 Digital News Report to chart the growing role of individual personalities in shaping public understanding of news.

The findings underscore a turning point in global media habits. In many countries, social-video platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are now the main gateways to news, and creators who mix commentary, explanation and entertainment often capture more attention than established outlets. For traditional publishers, the report signals a deep challenge to their visibility and influence.

The first key finding highlights stark differences across countries. In markets including Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, people say they pay more attention to creators and influencers than to mainstream news brands or their journalists when using social media.

By contrast, audiences in Northern Europe, Japan, Australia and Canada still focus mainly on legacy outlets. The pattern reflects not just levels of social-media use but also cultural and market differences and the relative strength of established news institutions.

Second, while most creators attract modest followings, a handful dominate attention. Figures such as Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson in the United States, Dhruv Rathee and Ravish Kumar in India, and Brazil’s Leo Dias reach millions across platforms. Yet these are exceptions: the majority of creators operate in a long tail, serving niche audiences and often fading as trends shift.

Third, the report finds that creator attention is mostly national in scope – but English-language commentators, particularly from the US and UK, enjoy global reach. In Canada and Australia, two-thirds of the most mentioned news personalities are based abroad. Right-leaning commentators such as Rogan, Carlson and Ben Shapiro have built large audiences overseas, while figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump are cited in nearly every market. The football journalist Fabrizio Romano also stands out as a rare example of a non-political creator with global recognition.

Fourth, the gender imbalance among creators is striking. Across the 24 countries studied, 85% of the top-ranked creators are men. Canada’s list is entirely male, while the Philippines is a notable outlier, with women making up 54% of its top creators. Under-35s are far more likely to consume news from creators (48%) than from mainstream media (41%), whereas older groups show the reverse pattern, suggesting that gender and age gaps could further widen over time.

Finally, platform choice defines who thrives. YouTube remains the most important network for creators, particularly those producing commentary or explainers. TikTok and Instagram are key among younger users, while Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) still favour traditional news brands in parts of Asia and Africa. Political commentators dominate X and YouTube, while lifestyle and “infotainment” creators flourish on Instagram and TikTok.

The RISJ warns that this uneven landscape is reshaping journalism’s public role. Trust in news remains low — averaging around 40 % globally — and almost six in ten respondents say they struggle to distinguish truth from falsehood online. At the same time, nearly half view influencers and creators as potential sources of misinformation.

For publishers, the message is clear: the competition for attention has moved beyond newsrooms to personalities who command loyalty through authenticity, style and platform fluency. As the report concludes, creators are “increasing their role in the news ecosystem — but in highly uneven ways that reflect market, cultural and platform differences.”