Rihanna, Kanye West, Kylie Jenner Named ‘Top 25 Most Influential People On The Internet’

Rihanna, Kanye West, Kylie Jenner Named To Time’s ‘Top 25 Most Influential People On The Internet’ List

Time recently revealed their fourth annual “Top 25 Most Influential People on the Internet” list. The most talked about people of the year are chosen by the following characteristics: their ability to drive news, and their social media impact. Here are some of our faves who made the list, and why according to staff member, Eliza Berman.

Rihanna

When Rihanna speaks—or, more precisely, ‘grams—the world listens. In March 2018, she posted an Instagram story denouncing an ad that appeared on Snapchat that used her image to make light of domestic violence, of which she is a survivor. Soon after, Snap Inc. lost $800 million in value. In May, she posted photos of herself in swimwear with visible stubble on her legs, inspiring a wave of online declarations that shaving, for this summer at least, is no longer required. But part of what makes the 30-year-old singer and entrepreneur so successful on the Internet is her own ability to listen. She listened and heard that there was a large segment of the population that felt underserved by the beauty and fashion industries, and she responded with her wildly successful makeup line, Fenty Beauty, and lingerie line, Savage x Fenty. Both were instant hits, thanks in part to Rihanna’s savvy use of social media to market them. The money—and the followers—are pouring in, with no signs of slowing.

Kanye West

West once called his own tweets a form of “contemporary art.” And to some, his musings on Twitter—erratic, unfiltered, controversial—are just that. To others, however, they’re more problematic, if not downright offensive. Since returning to the platform in April after a nearly year-long hiatus, many fans have been alternately baffled, angry and saddened to see the same artist who, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, accused President Bush of not caring about black people, call President Trump his “brother,” post an image of a Make America Great Again Hat, and defend his comments about slavery being a “choice.” But despite calls for West to be “cancelled,” his recently released album, Ye, debuted atop the Billboard 200. No matter what, his online persona—with 28 million followers—keeps him squarely in the public eye.

Kylie Jenner

If Jenner’s social media domination was ever in question, any uncertainty was snuffed out during a period of weeks this past February. First, the 20-year-old youngest sibling in the Kardashian-Jenner clan posted the first photo of her newborn baby to Instagram, revealing Stormi Webster’s name to the world and ousting Beyoncé’s 2017 pregnancy photo to become the most-liked image ever posted on the platform. A couple weeks later, she tweeted about her lack of interest in Snapchat—on which she was once the most followed celebrity—prompting the app’s parent company to lose more than $1.3 billion in market value. By one estimate, Jenner is now the highest-paid celebrity on Instagram, with each sponsored post worth the equivalent of $1 million (about a fifth the cost of a Super Bowl commercial). She may not be the most followed among her famous sisters, but her ability to engage legions of fans—and customers—has been for her business, Kylie Cosmetics, as spinach was to Popeye. She’s now on track, by some estimates, to become a billionaire by her 25th birthday.

Civil rights activist Shaun King, the students of Parkland, Florida school shooting, and comedy duo Desus and Mero were also included.

Take a look at Time’s complete list here. 

By: Miata Shanay