Introducing The Affinity 100 List: The Most Impactful Creators of 2026

We've been arguing against follower count as the measure of influence for years. Now we have the data.

Our founder Shira Lazar and media cartographer Evan Shapiro just launched the Affinity 100, built with Whalar Group and its data platform Foam. It ranks creators by what happens after they post, not by how many people follow them.

Blair Imani is No. 1. MrBeast is No. 85. Dude Perfect is 89. Mark Rober is 90.

The scoring metric, called the Affinity Quotient, pulls public likes, comments, views, and shares across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube over a 30-day window, with shares counted double. Blair Imani's AQ is 100. MrBeast's is 35.7.

That gap isn't a knock on MrBeast. It's a signal that reach and influence stopped being the same product a while ago, and the industry hasn't caught up.

We broke down the full top 10, what the middle of the list reveals, and what it means for creators and brands.

Read the full story:

Evan Shapiro also published his own deep dive on the methodology. READ HERE