Just yesterday, news outlets including The New York Times deemed Kim Kardashian’s hair makeover newsworthy, and now she’s been named one of the 30 Most Influential People on the Internet, according to Time magazine.
The 34-year-old reality star, who the magazine previously named the second most-influential fictional character of 2014 for her “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” avatar, influences the masses along with Taylor Swift, President Obama, Janet Mock, Beyoncé, J.K. Rowling, Jimmy Fallon and Caitlin McNeill, the woman who launched a debate surrounding “blue and black or white and gold.”
What makes Kardashian so influential? According to Time:
She may tout millions of fans in real life, but Kardashian, 34, truly stands out on Instagram. There, she has perfected the art of the selfie: some with famous friends, some in luxurious bathrooms, and all to the delight of her 27 million followers. Long a performer in a reality TV show produced and edited by others, Kardashian also deftly uses Twitter to define and defend her own narrative (“Her eyes were closed and I was feeling my look! Can I live?!?” she sniped after being criticized for cropping her daughter out of a selfie), and of course to promote her various business ventures.
Anyone who writes Kardashian off as empty-headed may be underestimating her influence. She has developed a new kind of star with a deft understanding of how to package and leverage her brand. And Kim Kardashian knows that without the Internet, there would be no Kim Kardashian.
In her Paper magazine interview (which was paired with a nude photo shoot in an attempt to break the Internet), Kardashian admitted that her cultural relevance would be greatly diminished without the help of social media. “I don’t think social media was that heavy when we started our show,” she said, “but I think we really evolved with social media.”
Similarly, in an interview with Adweek, released Sunday, Kardashian said, “Social media plays a huge role in my life and my career. I came at the right time when people just started to get into reality shows. Social media works when you’re open, when you’re honest and people want to feel like they’re getting a little glimpse into your life. It’s not that I brand myself like I’m a celebrity. It’s just I’m living my life and sharing a part of my life with the world.”
While her last statement is up for debate, it doesn’t really matter. Given that the Internet basically created Kim Kardashian (a statement Paris Hilton might dispute), it’s no wonder she’s mastered it.
For the full list of the 30 Most Influential People on the Internet, head over to Time.
