Selena Gomez hits 400M followers on Instagram: Decoding her Insta-success
What's the story
American singer-actor-entrepreneur Selena Gomez has become the first woman on Instagram to achieve 400M followers. This achievement comes less than a month after she dethroned Kylie Jenner as the most-followed woman on Instagram. Recently, Gomez posted a no-makeup selfie—that went viral—with the caption Violet Chemistry, which happens to be a track title from Miley Cyrus's eighth studio album. Here's a look at Gomez's Insta-success.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Gomez rose to prominence with the TV series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-12). However, it was her music career that really catapulted her into the spotlight. Her Instagram journey began in 2013, and since then, she has amassed a massive fan following. Notably, the singer returned to personally posting on her Instagram page in January, four years after deleting the application from her phone.
Reason #1
Justin factor could be reason for high engagement
Since 2010, Gomez's relationship with singer Justin Bieber gathered an "intrigue factor" among the audiences. Recently, Bieber's wife-model Hailey Baldwin Bieber and his ex Gomez made headlines when a video of Hailey pretending to gag at the mention of Taylor Swift surfaced. Gomez commented on social media, "So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game."
Reason #2
Another reason for Gomez's success is activism
Gomez understands the power of social media, and she has used the platform to raise awareness about a range of issues. After reportedly being diagnosed with lupus—an autoimmune disease—in 2014, she became susceptible to body shaming trolls, and she took the lead to shut them on social media to make a positive impact on the world, which was widely appreciated by her fans.
Reason #3
Unlike fellow celebrities, Gomez posts relatable content
The 30-year-old never shied away from posting about her low-key affairs, too. Unlike fellow celebrities, Gomez does not position herself as a big-time movie star and keeps on sharing anecdotes and behind-the-scenes, which keeps her fans engaged. Moreover, the singer's captions are usually on the self-deprecating side; for instance, one of her posts was captioned, "This means we had good lighting.... Right ladies?? (sic)"
Other highly-followed celebrities
After Ronaldo and Messi, Gomez enjoys highest post-engagement rate
Although Gomez is the most-followed woman on Instagram, soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed person on the platform with 562M followers, followed by Lionel Messi (442M). Among the top celebrities on Instagram, there's a high engagement rate on Gomez's posts, which usually rake up millions of likes. Her last three Instagram posts, including the no-makeup picture, have 23.7M, 16.9M, and 13.3M likes, respectively.