'Social Media Gurus' Followed by Authority. Celebrities Not So Much

Not that we didn't already know this but sometime a study is required to slap some people upside the head so they realize that what everyone is telling them is actually true. So what's the big finding?

While celebrities have a large number of Twitter followers, most of them are low authority users. On the other hand, "social media heavyweights" like @chrisbrogan, @jowyang and @jasonfalls seem to attract fewer but very engaged Twitter users with high authority rankings.

Um, well, duh. Those who follow celebrities are just "regular" people. Those who follow "social media heavyweights" are in the business themselves and because of that and their interest and participation in the actual business of social media, they have a fair amount of clout themselves.

The study, conducted by sysomos, also takes a look at the authority of those who follow news and media sources. Take a look at the full study here.

Some of you out there (ahem, @1938media) might enjoy the fact @mashable followers are more authoritative than @techcruch followers.