Modi, porn star Kardashian among 30 most influential people on internet

New York, Mar 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been named among the 30 most influential people on the internet by Time magazine in a list which also features American television personality and porn star Kim Kardashian and other celebrities.

The list, which analysed social-media followings, site traffic and overall ability to drive news, also includes British author of the Harry Potter series J K Rowling and singers Taylor Swift and Beyonce.

Time said the Indian Prime Minister has roughly 38 million followers on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, putting him ahead of any other political leaders in the world except US President Barack Obama.

"And unlike many of his contemporaries, Modi recognises that social media can be invaluable when trying to reach India's 200 million-plus online population directly," the Time magazine said.

Modi, an ardent user of social media to communicate with people, announced in an unconventional way, Obama's strategic visit to India in January this year. He took to Twitter to make the announcement, "bypassing traditional media outlets," the magazine said.

Time said given the power of the social media, anyone with a web connection can start a global conversation.

"Yes, it helps to be famous in real life. But the rise of social networks has levelled the playing field, allowing unknowns to command audiences rivalling those of real-world leaders, even if by accident," it said.

On Obama's virtual influence, Time said the US President is the most-liked world leader on Facebook and the most-followed on Twitter.

"But more impressively, Obama is able to meme himself to push an agenda," Time said citing a video he featured in for American internet news media company Buzzfeed. In it Obama used a selfie stick among other props to remind millennials to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Within days, the video had been viewed more than 50 million times.

The list also includes, singer Justin Beiber, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Chinese actress Yao Chen, singer Shakira, photographer behind the hugely popular blog Humans of New York Brandon Stanton and TV personality Jimmy Fallon.

Here is the list of 30 most influential people on internet:

1.     Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg - Swedish gamer and vlogger
2.     Taylor Swift
3.     The Jester - anonymous hacktivist
4.     Nash Grier - prolific Vine user
5.     Barack Obama
6.     Kim Kardashian
7.     Joy Cho - blogger
8.     Janet Mock - transgender rights activist
9.     Justin Bieber
10.     Ta-Nehisi Coates - writer and journalist
11.     Grace Helbig
12.     Vani Hari - food blogger
13.     Beyoncé
14.     Gwyneth Paltrow
15.     Tyler Oakley
16.     Cristina Fernández de Kirchner - Argentinian president
17.     Matt Drudge
18.     Yao Chen - actress, blogger
19.     Bethany Mota - beauty blogger
20.     Alexei Navalny - Russian blogger and whistleblower
21.     Brittany Furlan
22.     Shakira
23.     Denny Januar Ali - Indonesian political analyst
24.     Anita Sarkeesian
25.     Josh Ostrovsky
26.     Brandon Stanton
27.     JK Rowling
28.     Narendra Modi - Indian PM
29.     Jimmy Fallon
30.     Caitlin McNeill - responsible for unleashing The Dress on the internet. SMDH.