Trevor Noah is SA’s biggest winner on social media

He may have gained a few detractors for his recent comments around gender diversity in comedy, but Trevor Noah is still rocking the social media space.

The South African comedian was on Thursday named South Africa’s Social Star of 2015.

The award is presented annually in conjunction with the release of the South African Social Media Landscape study by technology research organisation World Wide Worx and media analytics company Fuseware.

The study is based on access to consumer data from seven major social networks and a corporate survey conducted among more than a hundred of South Africa’s leading brands.

Read more: 5 South African social media numbers you need to know right now

Noah does not have the biggest following in any of the individual networks, but is the only person who features among the top performers across all these networks. He was also responsible for the most retweeted posting on Twitter in 2015, when he declared that “No one can replace Jon Stewart”, referring to the Daily Show host in whose shoes he will step at the end of September. More than 16 000 people reposted the tweet.

Trevor Noah distinguished himself on social media by being having among the biggest followings in South Africa across all these platforms. They key numbers that earned him the accolade were:

• Twitter — 2.6-million followers;
• Facebook — 2.6-million Likes;
• Instagram — 368 000 followers;
• YouTube — 255 000 subscribers, 26.3-million views.

“Trevor has not only made a successful transition from being a leading South Africa performer to being a global media star, but has also shown how it is possible to create a successful presence across diverse social media platforms,” said Arthur Goldstuck, managing director of World Wide Worx, when he announced the award this week. “He may be an individual personality, but he also provides a powerful case study of how brands can leverage social networks through quality content.”

“It’s not only about being a big name,” said Mike Wronski, managing director of Fuseware. “Even more important is the extent to which your audience engages with you wherever you are. Trevor Noah is the best example of that in 2015.”