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Kim Kardashian Named One Of The Most Influential People On The Internet For The Second Year In A Row [Video]

By Maat van Uitert
Published on: 10:47 PST, Mar 16, 2016

For the second year in a row, Kim Kardashian West made Time magazine’s unranked list of the 30 Most Influential People On The Internet, along with husband, Kanye West, as well as Caitlyn Jenner. Calling Kardashian “of the most-watched people on the planet,” the magazine referenced Kim’s 120 million followers across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat as part of her ever-reaching influence.

One can hardly go a day without running into Kim Kardashian’s face on any given social media outlet, and her name constantly makes headlines in the media. Although her 120 million social media followers usually seem to be obsessed with what Kim is wearing, Kardashian recently was simultaneously slammed and praised for her posting of nude selfies – which Kim defended against detractors who say she’s more sex appeal than anything else.

In the grainy selfie, Kim is nude, but her private areas were covered by a black strip as the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wore a blonde wig. It was the photo seen round the world, and although Kardashian was widely criticized for the photograph, she insists it was all about confidence.

As part of her defense, Kim wrote on her private website that she is “empowered by showing the world my flaws and not being afraid of what anyone is going to say about me,” adding that she “hope[s] that through this platform I have been given, I can encourage the same empowerment for girls and women all over the world.”

At the same time, Kim’s critics question not whether Kim has the right to take the selfie, but, rather, the influence it will have on young girls. Empowerment is all well and good, but “[t]hat’s not the case when you’re a middle schooler growing up in some little town somewhere where everybody knows you and can see that picture,” Nancy Jo Sales, author of American Girls: Social Media And The Secret Lives Of Teenagers told the New York Times, who claims that while Kim does the right thing to promote her brand by taking these selfies, they send the wrong message to teenage girls.

However, whether the Kim Kardashian nude selfie sends the right or wrong message, it is just one social media share out of many; Kim Kardashian and her ability to “break the internet” is one reason she made Time magazine’s list of the 30 Most Influential People On The Internet.

Kanye West, who is married to Kim Kardashian, also made the list, in particular because of his constant stream of Twitter rants. Although West’s “tweets can be controversial…and confusing…many do offer constructive criticism of the fashion and music industries.” Kanye is perhaps becoming more famous for his tweets, in which he details family fights, such as trying to stop a deal between Kylie Jenner and Puma, as well as having Kim Kardashian tweet out whenever he released a new single leading up to the release of The Life Of Pablo.

https://twitter.com/TeamKanyeDaily/status/710156427097198593

Another reason Kanye was chosen is because, with The Life Of Pablo, West is changing conceptions about how to release an album. Over Twitter, West revealed that he might not release The Life Of Pablo on CD, claiming that he might limit its release, as well as the release of future albums, over the streaming service TIDAL.

In addition to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Caitlyn Jenner made the list. As the “most famous transgender person in the world,” Jenner, who was married to Kim Kardashian’s mother Kris Jenner until their divorce in 2015, had over 1 million followers on Twitter just four hours after joining the social media platform. Not even President Obama could garner so many followers so fast.

What do you think? Should Kim Kardashian have made the list of the 30 Most Influential People On The Internet? Leave a comment below!

[Photo by: Jason Merritt/Getty Images]

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