What Is Clout?

Clout is slang for the social influence or power one holds in the social media landscape, reflecting how an individual’s posts, thoughts, and interactions drive trends, sway public opinion, and command engagement. 

Initially, the term sprang from a proprietary metric on the Klout platform, which ranked users’ online influence with scores from 1 to 100, though this platform has since been phased out.

Despite the discontinuation of the Klout score, the concept of social influence remains more relevant than ever. Today’s digital culture heavily emphasizes the impact that one can have on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, where user engagement is highly prized. 

Clout, in this context, is akin to social currency, with those commanding high clout often leading the discourse and defining what is trendy or critical in the evolving social sphere.