Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Social Media
  3. News

Journalists, celebrities, athletes make up most of Twitter’s ‘verified’ list

Jose Alvarez
By

journalists celebrities athletes make up most of twitters verified list accounts
Digital Trends' Malarie Gokey is one of Twitter's verified users. Journalists have the most verified accounts. Image used with permission by copyright holder
If you’ve ever wondered what the blue check mark next to a Twitter user’s name stands for, it means they’re a verified user – a “who’s who” of Twitter. According to Twitter, “Verification is currently used to establish authenticity of identities of key individuals and brands on Twitter.” This helps users interact directly with well-known people and brands who use Twitter.

So, just who are these verified users, and what industries are they in? Haje Jan Kamps, CEO of Triggertrap, made a report determining who the verified users of Twitter are (via Medium). Kamps mentioned that Twitter verification helps “protect and highlight users who were particularly at risk of getting impersonated.”

Recommended Videos

According to Kamps, there are about 150,000 verified accounts on Twitter out of 300 million active users, or 0.05 percent of all Twitter users. A quarter of these verified accounts belong to journalists and other media personalities. Around 18 percent belong to sports teams and athletes, 13.6 percent are actors and entertainers, 12.7 percent are either companies or businessmen, 12 percent are musicians and bands, 6.8 percent are media outlets, 6.5 percent belong to governments and non-government organizations (NGOs), 3.1 percent are shows and movies, and bringing up the rear are politicians at 2.9 percent.

Related

Although journalists make up a quarter of verified users, musicians have the most followers. Musicians average around 1.4 million followers, compared to the journalists’ modest follower count of 140,000. Media outlets, due to the nature of their business, average the most tweets despite only making up 6.8 percent of all verified users. Businesses come in a distant second, despite increasingly turning to social media to facilitate customer service.

The most followed verified accounts tend to be celebrities. Seven musicians made the top ten, such as Katy Perry (70.1 million, first), Justin Bieber (64.1 million, second), Taylor Swift (57.9 million, fourth), Lady Gaga (46.8 million, sixth), Rihanna (45.8 million, seventh), Justin Timberlake (45.6 million, eighth), and Britney Spears (41.9 million, tenth). While politicians rank dead last in number of verified accounts, one, President Barack Obama (59.6 million, third), made the top ten. YouTube (51.1 million, fifth) and The Ellen DeGeneres Show (43.6 million, ninth) make up the rest.

Interestingly, Twitter’s own account didn’t even make the top ten in terms of followers (39.6 million, 11th), and the highest-ranking athlete, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, is in the 13th spot (35.7 million). The top business executive that Twitter users follow is Microsoft founder Bill Gates (22.2 million, 30th).

In terms of users that verified accounts follow, @6BillionPeople is making an audacious attempt to follow everyone on the planet, but has reached only 2.4 million accounts, or 0.8 percent of all Twitter users. @AmexOffers has clocked in at 3 million tweets, showing that they have an aggressive approach to social media.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jose Alvarez
Jose Alvarez
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Introduced to tech at a young age, Jose has grown attached to video games in particular. He has covered topics such as…
What is Twitter Blue and is it worth it?
Twitter Blue menu option on a white screen background which is on a black background.

If you spend time on Twitter, you've probably heard the phrase "Twitter Blue" at some point and wondered what exactly it is. We're not talking about the signature shade of blue featured in its logo -- we're talking about the premium version of Twitter.

That's right. There's a paid tier for Twitter that many people don't even know exists that launched in July of 2021. And then relaunched again under Elon Musk's ownership in November 2022. Don't worry -- we'll explain everything below.
What is Twitter Blue?

Read more
What is Mastodon? Here’s why everyone’s talking about this Twitter alternative
Series of four mobile screenshots showing Mastodon's sign-up process.

By now you've no doubt heard about Mastodon. It's a social media platform that's been bandied about as an alternative to Twitter, particularly among users who aren't comfortable with the direction Twitter is going in now that Elon Musk is at the helm.

In fact, since Musk first announced that he was planning on buying the popular microblogging platform, Mastodon has garnered quite a bit of attention and experienced significant growth. But though you've likely heard about Mastodon, you may not be familiar with how it works or haven't decided whether or not it would be a good fit for you if you ever choose to leave Twitter and need an alternative social media platform. Don't worry. We've got you covered. In this guide, we'll get you up to speed on everything you need to know about social media's buzziest new platform.
What is Mastodon?

Read more
Twitter’s SMS two-factor authentication is having issues. Here’s how to switch methods
A person's hands holding a smartphone as they browse Twitter on it.

It might be a good idea to review and change your two-factor authentication options for Twitter. Elon Musk's Twitter has another issue for its users to worry about.

Twitter has reportedly been having issues with its SMS two-factor authentication feature (2FA). According to Wired, beginning as early as this past weekend, some Twitter users have reported difficulties logging in to their Twitter accounts due to the app's SMS 2FA feature not working properly. Essentially, the feature relies on the app sending users an authentication code via text message, which they can then enter as a second step in the login process.

Read more