Time magazine says “it helps to be famous in real life. But the rise of social networks has leveled the playing field, allowing unknowns to command audiences rivaling those of real-world leaders, even if by accident.”

The magazine has compiled a list of 30 most influential people on the internet and prime minister Narendra Modi finds a place among them. The most influential person will be decided by the online community.

The list has been prepared on the basis of social media followings, site traffic and overall ability to drive news.

There are only three politicians in the roll call that includes internet stars and showbiz people.

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

Modi 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".

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 influential list:

Swedish gamer Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, pop star Taylor Swift, unknown cyber warrior and hacktivist The Jester, 17-year-old social media veteran Nash Grier, US president Barack Obama, reality star Kim Kardashian, blogger Joy Cho, writer and activist Janet Mock, singer Justin Bieber,  writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, YouTube sensation Grace Helbig, food blogger Vani Hari, singer and actress Beyonce, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, YouTube star Tyler Oakley, Argentine’s president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, net’s citizen journalist Matt Drudge, Chinese actress Yao Chen, fashion blogger Bethany Mota, Russing blogger Alexei Navalny, vine star Brittany Furlan, pop singer Shakira, pollster Denny Januar Ali, feminist Anita Sarkeesian, comedian Josh Ostrovsky, photographer Brandon Stanton,  British author J K Rowling, prime minister Narendra Modi, TV show host Jimmy Fallon, Scottish singer Caitlin McNeill