Traditional media no longer holds the monopoly of creating stars. For years now social media has been responsible in the emergence of todays biggest stars.
A good example of this is Falz who pivoted from an Instagram comedy sensation into a rap superstar.
As 2016 comes to an end, Pulse has created a list of the top 10 people social media blew up this year. You can read the list below;
1) Emmanuella
This funny girl is Nigeria's Queen of YouTube and the biggest social media star of 2016. Her mature acting and deadpan delivery captivated our hearts.
Her big break came when her video 'this is not my real face' video went viral. Nigerians couldn't stop laughing for weeks. This video set her off and her videos on YouTube have insane views. She has transcended being a social media star into a bonafide star. All that is waiting for her is her Nollywood debut.
2) Olajumoke Orisaguna
Talk about a rag to riches story. Olajumoke Orisaguna was virtually a nobody until that fateful Sunday when she stumbled onto the set of TY Bello's photoshoot for the British-Nigerian rapper Tinie Tempah.
Her life changed overnight from covering This Day Style, earning a modelling contract, moving into a serviced apartment, and going to a finishing school. Her story was picked up by several international news websites and she got interviewed on CNN.
3) Bobrisky
The famous (sometimes controversial) crossdresser went from zero to hero thanks to the power of social media. Bobrisky didn't blow up with Twitter or Instagram. He used a relatively new social media app SnapChat to make himself a household name virtually.
Bobrisky has approximately 60,000 followers on SnapChat and his videos regularly appear on Twitter. He is the biggest social media sensation of 2016. He is so big these days that he is presently on a tour of the UK and people line up to take selfies with him. A selfie with Bobrisky is worth £20.
4) Instablog 9ja
Before the news becomes news, Instablog 9ja has it. This year was the year of this Instagram account as it disrupted the systems of many celebrity sites and blogs.
Instablog 9ja provided the juicy details of the biggest celebrity stories before your favourite sites could publish them. The famous Instagram account buttressed the point that social media platform are now sites for information and not just linking routes.
5) Kanmi
When a song is titled after a slang you coined then you know you are gold. Kanmi who has been bubbling online for a while now really blew up in 2016.
His 'Akanm D Boy' sketches got him a lot of fans this year including a superstar by the name of Wizkid. While his contemporaries used Instagram to blow up, he used Twitter and it turned out successful for him. Oh yes Ajebutter's 'Bad Gang' was inspired by Kanmi who features in the video.
6) Joro Olumofin
This University of Lagos graduate started the year in grand fashion as he and brother took pettiness to another level. Joro and his brother went to war when BEAT FM OAP Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi called them 'social climbers'. The Olumofin brothers went berserk on her.
Joro Olumofin would pivot the fame to establish himself as an Instagram love and dating coach. The e-mails he receives from people seeking advice mostly go viral not only on Instagram but on Twitter too. Hey, I guess that's Pulse interviewed him.
7) Sub Delivery Man
The art of subbing is huge on Twitter and no account on the social media app does it better than Sub Delivery Man. Gone are the days when you sub someone and your followers don't know who you are talking about. Sub Delivery Man will take the sub and mention the person being subbed.
Sub Delivery Man has also taken snitching a step further. People can send anonymous DMs to the account and spill the beans about someone on Twitter. Sub Delivery man's DM has 'casted' a lot of people on social media.
8) Maraji
Still a teenager, the quite animated Maraji (Gloria Oloruntobi) is one of the biggest names on social media these days. The 19-year-old is the queen of lip syncing on Instagram. From dancing to songs and lip syncing comedy skits, Maraji is the queen of perfect timing.
In 2016 she also branched out to start doing her own original skits. Her content is quite refreshing to watch in a field dominated by men.
9) Ebiye
The comedian of pop culture on social media has to go to Ebiye. The comedian really broke in 2016 with his Twitter and Instagram skits that referenced pop culture.
Coming off his hilarious skit of Davido getting robbed in 2015, Ebiye quickly jumped on Tiwa Savage's marriage issues and Linda Ikeji's success to create funny skits that we couldn't help but retweet.
10) Oresegun Olumide
We saw a lot of artists on Instagram but no one captured our sights and hearts than Oresegun Olumide. His hyper-realistic drawings went viral and earned him a feature on CNN's website.