The founder of controversial app Snapchat has been voted as the most influential new media figure under the age of 30, according to a poll compiled by (BCU).
Evan Spiegel, chief executive of the instant photo app, emerged ahead of YouTube superstars Jamal Edwards, Zoella and Alfie Deyes in BCU's 'Under 30 New Media Power List'.
Mr Spiegel, 24, co-founded Snapchat in July 2011 while studying at Stanford University and in August this year the company was valued at around £6.3 billion.
READ MORE: {}
He has been invited to receive an award from students at Rethink Media 2015, a new media event being held by BCU on 18 March.
David Karp, the founder of micro blogging site Tumblr, was the second most influential figure according to the audience of 15 - 24 year olds who were asked at a Gadget Show event hosted by BCU last month.
海角视频 YouTubers Tanya Burr, Zoella and Alfie Deyes also made the top 20.
The Rethink Media event will be presented by The Gadget Show's Jason Bradbury and feature speakers including Google director Frank Golding who will discuss the changing nature of multi-platform content provision.
The 'Under 30 New Media Power List'
Most Read
1. Evan Spiegel (24)
American internet entrepreneur who co-founded photo messaging app Snapchat.
2. David Karp (28)
Founder of Tumblr, a microblogging platform and social networking website.
3. Jenna Marbles (28)
American entertainer and YouTube personality with more than 13 million subscribers. Her 'How to' videos have been featured in articles by The New York Times and ABC News.
4. Jamal Edwards (23)
Don’t miss
Owner of SBTV, a broadcasting company that makes music videos featuring rap and pop stars before putting them on YouTube.
5. Felix Kjellberg (24)
Better known by his online alias, PewDiePie, Felix is a Swedish video game commentator on YouTube.
6. Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella (24)
English fashion and beauty vlogger and internet personality.
7. Sean Rad (27)
Founder of Tinder, a matchmaking mobile app which connects with users' Facebook profiles to provide pictures and ages for other users to view.
8. Tyler Oakley (25)
American YouTube personality and advocate for LGBT youth and social issues, including healthcare and education.
9. Freddie Wong (29)
Formed the production company RocketJump and is the creator of mini action movies.
10. Tanya Burr (25)
YouTube sensation best known for her make-up and fashion channel on YouTube, which now has 2.5 million subscribers.
11. Tom Cassell (21)
Known as TheSyndicateProject, he is a British gaming commentator and vlogger.
12. Pete Cashmore (29)
Founder of Mashable, a news and advice blog about social media.
13. Mark Turpin (29)
Chief executive of Yogscast, a group of YouTube broadcasters who produce gaming-related video content focused on World of Warcraft and Minecraft.
14. David Burstein (25)
Writer, filmmaker, and storyteller, he is the author of Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World.
15. Ian Andrew Hecox and Anthony Padilla (both 26)
Web-based comedy duo. As of 2014, the Smosh channel has more than 18 million subscribers and 3.6 billion video views.
16. Xavier Damman (29)
Co-founder of Storify, a social network service that lets the user create stories or timelines using social media.
17. Alfie Deyes (21)
English vlogger who runs the YouTube channels PointlessBlog, PointlessBlogTv and AlfieGames.
18. Marques Brownlee (20)
Better known by his stage name, MKBHD, he is a video producer, host, tech-reviewer and internet personality.
19. Lily Pebbles (26)
Lily is a 海角视频 beauty and lifestyle blogger & vlogger, and graduate of Birmingham City University. She runs her blog and YouTube channel full-time.
20. Steffan Aquarone (28)
Entrepreneur and film producer, Steffan is the co-founder of mobile money app Droplet, which lets you load money onto your phone and send payments to anyone free.