Most influential people on Twitter – Cosmic 140

Information Architects just released their annual Web Trends Map, but it's not about the subway and URLs this time around. Instead, it focuses on the 140 most influential Twitter users - the Cosmic 140 - based on list volume. Here are your top five:

1. Barack Obama (@BarackObama)
2. Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)
3. CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk)
4. Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13)
5. Pete Cashmore (@mashable)

How about those American values?

As you can guess from the name, the layout and design revolve around a solar system metaphor. Founders rest in the middle, influential tweeters rest on the outer orbits, and followers are shown with surrounding edges. The longer a person has been a Twitter user, the closer to the middle he, she, or the company appears. The more a person is listed, the larger the white circle, and the more followers, the larger the surrounding transparent circle. Finally, people are placed on the 360° by category (e.g. entertainment or politics).

I like how all of the founders' first tweets were "just setting up my twttr." It's the modern day "Mr. Watson. Come here. I want to see you." I wonder what the first email was. Probably something about a Nigerian prince and a million dollars.

All in all, with iA's usual thoughtful design, it's quite a pretty thing to look at and interesting to examine.

Check out the full-sized PDF, or sexify your wall and grab the high-end print for $99.