Barack Obama, Justin Bieber Top Twitter's Most Influential List

The leader of the free world and a Canadian pop star best known for his haircut have at least one thing in common: they're the most influential Twitter users of the last year, reports CNN.

The rankings were compiled by Klout, a web analytic company that examines online trends in the social media sphere. Obama topped the list, Bieber claimed second, and one of Obama's main political rivals - Sarah Palin - claimed the third spot.

Though the list was largely dominated by politicians or pundits - Glenn Beck, George W. Bush, Massachusetts senator Scott Brown and outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi all landed in the top 10 - other well-known pop culture figures made their mark as well.

Apple chief Steve Jobs, Miami Heat star LeBron James and Lady Gaga also were among Twitter users who influenced discussion in 2010.

One of the major gauges of influence was which topics these social media stars chose to tweet about. As noted in Klout's report - which cited healthcare reform, the Tea Party, Iran and Haiti among the most talked about items on the site - these topics were not just widely talked about, but were also shared widely by the figures on the list.

However, the report also pointed out that influence was not an accurate reflection of sentiment. In regards to one of the company's most mentioned on Twitter - BP - Klout noted that its popularity was due to the fact that it was involved with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Suggested Reading: CNN, Klout, Forbes

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