Brazil's 30 most influential political personalities on Instagram. Part 3 (21-30)

For many, the stakes of the municipal race are not only local but also national. For President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, this election is crucial for gauging public support after more than a year and a half in office. For the opposition, these elections are also key to assessing its strength.

As the date approaches, the political race on social media is accelerating. Platforms like Instagram are powerful tools for capturing the votes of younger generations. In January 2024, it was estimated that 54.7% of Instagram users in Brazil were between 18 and 34 years old.

At Global South World, we have created a list of the 30 most influential Brazilian political personalities on Instagram. Although not everyone on the list is a candidate in the municipal elections, their accounts offer a window into the country's political polarisation.

With the help of Hypeauditor, an AI-powered influencer marketing platform, we have created a ranking based on the Audience Quality Score (AQS). This score, which ranges from 1 to 100, is calculated by measuring four factors: engagement rate, audience quality, follower and following growth, and engagement authenticity. For more details about our methodology, see the end of the article.

So, who is leading the social media battle on Instagram?

This is the first piece in a three-part series.

Here are the top 21-30.

30. André Janones

André Janones has been a federal deputy for Minas Gerais since 2019. 

The Brazilian lawyer gained popularity in 2018 when he became one of the main leaders of the truckers' strike. Previously, he ran for mayor of Ituiutaba in 2016 but came in second place. 

In the 2022 general elections, he decided to withdraw his presidential candidacy with the Avante party to support Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

29. Carla Cecato

Carla Cecato, one of the prominent figures in Brazilian journalism, is currently affiliated with the Novo Party.

Although she has been off television since 2021, she remains active on her social media platforms, where she mainly shares political content. She worked as a presenter on popular TV shows such as 'Fala Brasil' and 'SP Record.'

Cecato was a fervent supporter of Jair Bolsonaro in the last presidential elections.

28. Luisa Mell

Luisa Mell is an activist known for her fight for animal rights. She recently withdrew her candidacy for city councillor in the 2024 São Paulo municipal elections.

As an activist, Mell is credited with many achievements. In February 2015, she founded the Luisa Mell Institute, which is dedicated to helping animals be adopted.

As a presenter, she is best known for her work on 'Late Show.' She is also an actress and entrepreneur.

27. Ratinho

Carlos Roberto Massa, better known as Ratinho, is a former Brazilian politician and supporter of Jair Bolsonaro. During his political career, which lasted until the mid-1990s, he served as a city councillor in Curitiba and as a federal deputy for Paraná.

Ratinho is currently the presenter of the TV show 'SBT.' He is also an actor, an entertainment personality, and the founder and owner of 'Grupo Massa.'

He is the father of Ratinho Júnior, the current governor of Paraná.

26. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reelected president of Brazil in 2022 after defeating Jair Bolsonaro. A member of the Workers' Party (PT), he also served as president from 2003 to 2011. He has also held the presidency of the G20 since 2023.

Lula is known for his social welfare programs and efforts to combat poverty in Brazil. Before being elected president in 2002, he ran for the presidency several times and served as a federal deputy for São Paulo. In his youth, he was a trade unionist and fought against Brazil's military dictatorship.

In 2017, Lula was convicted of corruption and money laundering following an investigation into a massive bribery scandal known as Operation Car Wash. He spent a year and a half in prison. In 2021, a Supreme Court judge annulled his criminal convictions, which allowed him to run for president again the following year.

25. Tabata Amaral

Tabata Amaral, a candidate for mayor of São Paulo in the 2024 municipal elections, is currently a federal deputy representing São Paulo for the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). In 2019, she served as deputy leader of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT) and its political coalition.

Amaral is also an education activist and has founded organisations such as 'Vontade de Aprender Olímpica' and 'Movimento Mapa Educação.' She is also a co-founder of the NGO 'Acredito,' a movement that promotes political renewal by supporting progressive candidates running for the first time in Brazil.

24. Tales Gari

Tales Gari, or Gari Gato, is a social media influencer who recently announced his candidacy for councillor in Belo Horizonte. In 2022, he ran for federal deputy and received over 6,000 votes.

Also known as the "handsome sweeper," he became famous on social media for his content highlighting the work of cleaning workers. Gari claims he aims to improve the working conditions of the most disadvantaged people.

23. Kim Kataguiri

Kim Kataguiri is a politician currently serving as a congressman since 2018, after being reelected in 2022. He became known as one of the leaders of the 'Movimento Brasil Livre.'

Born in 1996, Kataguiri has already achieved many accomplishments in his young career. In 2015, he was named one of the most influential young people in the world by Time magazine. In 2019, he was part of Forbes' Under 30 list as one of the most influential personalities in Brazil. He also played a key role in the impeachment process against former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

Kataguiri is also an author, lecturer, YouTuber and activist.

22. Janja da Silva

Brazil's First Lady, Rosangela da Silva, also known as Janja, joined the Workers' Party (PT) as a teenager. 

A sociologist and Lula's third wife, she has played a key role in his government and presidential campaign. Many have compared Janja da Silva to figures like Evita Perón and Michelle Obama.

21. Zoe Martínez

Zoe Martínez, a loyal supporter of Jair Bolsonaro, is a candidate for city councillor of São Paulo for the Liberal Party (PL).

Born in Cuba but a naturalised Brazilian citizen, the 25-year-old has become known as a political commentator and critic of Cuban politics and the Brazilian left.

Martínez is also a social media influencer and has worked as a commentator for 'Jovem Pan,' the main Brazilian radio station.

Discover the second part of the list (numbers 11-20) on September 15.

This list was created with the help of Hypeauditor and is based on the Audience Quality Score (AQS). In case of a tie between two or more personalities, we used the engagement rate to establish the order. Data was extracted on July 19, 2024. We focused on personalities with more than one million followers.

Global South World’s power lists aim to identify the individuals from different fields who have the most influential voices on social media platforms.

It’s not just about the number of followers – Global South World uses a combination of different signals that take into account:

• Quality audience: The percentage of real people among the account’s followers. Who is following the account – is there a large number of bots?

• Follower and following growth: How fast is the account growing – is it relevant now, or was it just popular in the past? Are there any suspicious activities related to an increase in the number of followers?

• Engagement rate: The percentage of followers who engage with the individual’s content. How much engagement do posts generate - do people react and respond or just ignore them?

• Engagement authenticity: What is the quality of the engagement? Are comments AI generated or pushed by suspicious networks?

Global South World works with a specialist firm – Hypeauditor – to pull together these signals into a single ranging score, known as the Audience Quality Score. This ranges from 1 to 100 with 100 being the most influential possible account and is the basis for our rankings.

This list neither endorses nor evaluates political messages, ideologies, parties, or opinions. Its sole purpose is to measure impact and identify who is driving attention on social media.

If you want to learn more about how the AQS is calculated, you can visit Hypeauditor’s website.