The last two years have been incredibly eventful for Hollywood royalty, Robert Pattinson.

The English actor was bitten by the acting bug, made waves on social media, and became one of the most followed people on Instagram. What’s more, the 32-year-old has recently launched a clothing line, RPattz, which is now available to purchase online.

The Evolution Of An Actor

It’s been a meteoric rise for a man who, just a few years ago, was struggling to find work. Back in 2015, Pattinson was at the forefront of a celebrity baby boom, thanks to his on-screen romance with FKA Twigs, which began that year.

The pair became a vocal champion for gay rights in the United Kingdom. In 2018, the London-born actor married his longtime partner, Chinese director, Yu Jin, in a private ceremony in Venice.

Along with his wife, Pattinson launched their own children’s clothing line, Yujiapattz, and debuted their first collection of jewellery, which is inspired by the mythological Chinese creature, the Shenghao, or ‘Guardian Dragon’.

Pattinson also continued to make headlines in 2019, as the actor’s ex-girlfriend, Bella Hadid, gave birth to their daughter, Annabelle. The news came as a shock to the public, as Pattinson and Hadid were often photographed together.

The Birth Of A Trend

The dainty daughter of a fashion royalty, Annabelle is certainly not the first member of a famous family to be born in the 21st century. With a grandparent in the royal family, and a parent who is one of the most famous faces in modern culture, it’s no wonder that this latest addition to the family is breaking records.

It seems that the ‘Bella Hadid effect’ has reached new heights. As a result of their constant media appearances and social media following, the fashion house, Givenchy, recently revealed that their revenues have more than doubled in the last year, rising 24% to €379 million.

Instagram Is Where It’s At

Despite his incredible success, Pattinson still considers Instagram to be the ‘greatest platform ever invented’. More than 300 million people use the app daily, and it is one of the most popular destinations for celebrities and influencers.

In January 2019, Instagram released its own annual report, revealing that the platform saw a 41% increase in daily average video views, compared to the previous year. The most popular content on the platform in January 2019 was, in order, a Tiffany & Louis Vuitton collaboration, a pop-up shop in Milan, a trip to Paris, and Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour.

In the United States, Instagram is the 2nd most popular app, behind only the YouTube app. In 2019, TikTok surpassed Facebook to become the most popular social media platform, with 1.4 billion average monthly active users as of March 2021.

The Viral Nature Of Modern Celebrity

While Hollywood has always been famous for its glamorous and glamorous A-listers, 2019 has seen a rise in the profile and reach of ordinary people trying to make it in the limelight.

From the success of TikTok stars, such as Jack Dorsey and Charlie D’Amelio, to the breakout star of YouTube’s ‘Grace and Frankie’ (Sally Jane Morrison), many people now have the talent and the ability to go viral on social media.

According to TikTok, the average user spends 83 minutes per day on the app, and 45% of the platform’s daily active users log in at least once per day. The result of this is that many celebrities, influencers and prominent figures now have a direct line to the public, and hold a key place in people’s lives.

Wearable Trends

In previous years, when a celebrity or influencer set out to influence fashion or design trends, they did so either directly, or through one of their agencies. In the last year, however, influencers have become so valuable that many designers are now willing to work with them, setting up their own in-house agencies, or buying existing ones.

In 2020, influencers became a valuable resource once more. According to TikTok, the average user spends 284 hours per week on the app, resulting in an overall value of around £19.4 billion, in 2020 alone. In 2021, the value is expected to hit £22.4 billion.

Since launching in 2014, TikTok has grown to become the world’s largest social media platform. In November 2021, the app surpassed every other social media platform in the United States, including Twitter and Instagram, in monthly active users.

The Influence Of Millennials

According to TikTok, millennials — those born between the years of 1980 and 1994 — have completely redefined what it means to be famous, and how to achieve success and recognition online. They are more engaged with the brands they love than any other generation, and expect to be able to use social media to dictate trends and be heard on a large scale.

Millennials use TikTok to find inspiration for their daily lives, to keep in touch with their loved ones, and to discover new things. The generation is also highly influential, using their large social media presence, their ability to drive sales, and their large audiences to influence cultural and social debates online.

Why Is Robert Pattinson Popular On Instagram?

Like many other celebrities and influencers, Robert Pattinson uses his Instagram to share photos of himself and his family, as well as candid shots from the set of his movies. As well as being one of the most popular Instagrammers, Pattinson is also the platform’s most followed active user, with over 167.5 million followers as of March 2021.

But why is Robert Pattinson so popular on Instagram? Is it because he’s handsome, talented, and famous? Or does he have something more unique to offer?

To answer these questions, we need to look no further than to Instagram’s own reporting on their most-followed users. It seems that the platform’s algorithm prioritizes users who have something new and exciting to offer, rather than those who simply want to follow the flock.

Instagram first surfaced as a possible answer to our questions back in 2016, when it was revealed that the app’s own curator, Adam Selengard, had been secretly removing content that didn’t please the platform’s algorithm. Subsequently, Instagram faced severe backlash, and had to reveal their curated content policy, which is now available to read on their website.

In a nutshell, here’s what Instagram’s rules regarding curated content mean:

  • Instagram is a big place, and it wants your content to stand out.
  • High-quality content that stands out will naturally stand out on Instagram, even if it’s not great content.
  • Instagram is a place people go to be inspired, and sometimes that inspiration comes from content that wasn’t intended to be there in the first place.
  • The best content will arise from an organic, unfiltered creative process, but sometimes that takes time.
  • Instagram is a place people flock to, and sometimes that means some strange or uncomfortable content might end up being popular for a little while.
  • If you’re trying to make money on Instagram, you’d better make sure that what you’re posting is worth it.

While we might question whether or not watching the average Joe’s cooking videos qualifies as high-quality content, it’s clear that Instagram sees value in their users’ content, even if it’s somewhat uncomfortable or provocative. Indeed, the way that people interact with content on the platform, and the fact that much of this content is coming from verified accounts, might mean that we’re giving these ordinary people a voice, and a platform, that they never had before.

Most Influential Celebrity On Instagram?

The most influential celebrity on Instagram, as determined by the platform’s own ‘Here To Serve’ tool, is none other than Kylie Jenner. The tool rates users based on three criteria: number of followers, value, and growth over time.

Kylie Jenner has the highest score of any celebrity on the platform, according to Instagram, and, as of March 2021, has over 500 million followers, on Instagram and TikTok, alone.