As they get one step closer to world domination, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian both landed on Time's 100 Most Influential People list for 2015 — in fact, West was even featured on the cover of the issue. There's been a lot of debate over whether he deserved to be recognized on the cover, and there have been arguments over whether Kardashian should have been included as well. But the most important debate here is whether Kanye West is really more influential than Kim Kardashian.
Although the magazine doesn't rank the 100 people they have on the list numerically, it's easy to see that they think West is the more influential half of Kimye. After all, they designated him with the opening spot on their Titans list, while Kardashian falls 12th on the list. And, of course, they granted him the cover of the magazine.
But I think their influence needs to be considered on a deeper level. Rather than arguing that Kanye and Kim are some of the most influential people in the world, I want to see which of them is the most influential when compared to each other. Perhaps, when you look at it, Kim deserved that cover over Kanye — so, let's see how the number stack up.
Number of Twitter and Instagram Followers
Kim: 31 million Twitter followers, 30 million Instagram followers.
Kanye: 12 million Twitter followers, 0 Instagram followers. (He doesn't have an account.)
In today's Internet-driven world, one of the biggest ways to have an influence is to have a large audience on social media. Kim wins this category hands down. Every time she sends a tweet, it will be seen by three times the people who see her husband's tweets.
Number of Video Games Sold
Kim: One hugely successful one.
Kanye: None yet, but he has a game in the works.
Honestly, the only reason I'm not arguing with Kim being put on the Time 100 list is because of this video game. She turned me — an innocent bystander — into someone who dropped over $400 to buy digital clothes and earn digital fans. If that's not influence, I don't know what is. Perhaps Kanye West's game will have similar success, but we'll have to wait and see. For now, Kim wins this round because she tackled the video game sphere first.
Number of Times They've Been Called "Influential" By Their Spouse
Kim: Once (and over the Obamas, no less).
Kanye: Zero times.
Kanye is Kim's biggest supporter, and when people doubted she deserved the cover of Vogue, he made sure to tell everyone she did. "We're the most influential with clothing. No one is looking at what [President Barack Obama] is wearing," he said. "Michelle Obama cannot Instagram a pic like what my girl Instagrammed the other day." And sure, he threw his own name in there, but he always does that. So again, this round goes to Kim for being seen as influential by Time's leading man. That's a high endorsement.
Google Search Count
Kim: 197,000,000.
Kanye: 170,000,000.
It seems like a lot more people care about what Kim's up to.
Number of Family Members They've Built Careers For
Kim: Seven (Kris, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall, Kylie, Rob, and North).
Kanye: One (North).
Without Kim's sex tape and ensuing reality show, her mother wouldn't be a Momager, and it's doubtful any of her sisters would have the standing they do now. When Kim said in an episode of KUWTK that she wasn't buying Kendall shoes because she bought her a career — she wasn't wrong. That's not to say the Kardashian/Jenners don't deserve the success they've achieved, but without Kim it wouldn't be possible. Now, Kanye is at a disadvantage here because he's an only child. But he did build a career for his daughter North (as did Kim). By being related to the two of them, North has the world open in front of her. She can be a musician, a fashion mogul, or even someone in aviation. (Get it? North West.) But when it comes to familial influence, Kim takes the cake.
Amount of Musical Talent
Kim: Zero
Kanye: Way more than Kim
Kim Kardashian released a song once, and it was terrible. Kanye is clearly the musical genius of the two of them. So, he has that going for him.
Number of Books They've Written
Kim: Three
Kanye: Three
Although I'm not sold on the idea that Kim has actually penned her own novels, she does have three titles under her name: Selfish (her book of selfies), Kardashian Konfidential (an autobiography written alongside her sisters), and Dollhouse (the fictional version of their lives, also penned with her sisters). But Kanye has his wife tied for book ventures. He's published three of his own: a book of Kanye-isms, an illustrated novel of his song lyrics, and a photo essay book of his 2008 tour.
Number of Times They Thought They Broke the Internet
Kim: When she released those booty-baring Paper magazine pics.
Kanye: Every time he says anything.
Kim Kardashian tried hard to #BreakTheInternet with her butt a few months ago. And Kanye West recently told Time, "Every time I say something that’s extremely truthful out loud, it literally breaks the Internet."
Number of Times They Actually Broke the Internet
Kim: Zero.
Kanye: Zero.
The Internet is adept at handling even the kraziest of Kanye & Kim antics. Does the Internet get excited about the pair (in good ways and bad) sometimes? Yes. But did they actually ever "break" the entire Internet? No.
Conclusion
Sorry Kanye, but Kim's got you beat. She's just more influential in practically every way. But it's a good thing the two are married, because with that kind of influence in one couple, they're pretty much unstoppable — whether you want them to be or not.
Images: Getty Images (6) Kim Kardashian: Hollywood; giphy
