I have been thinking about this the last couple questions, so I just want to have a for fun discussion about it.
Who do you guys think is the most recognizable name in the world, at present? Only living people are eligible.
Here are my 2 cents:
Barack Obama - leader of the "free world".. self explanatory
Vladmir Putin - He's been the leader of russia for a while now.. probably near same level of recognizability as obama
Queen Elizabeth II - I don't really have much basis for this but i suspect she is super recognizable. I think lots of people around the world know of the queen of england... maybe not by name but like they know who she is. plus she is old as shit
Bono - He has been around for a long time, is still relevant, has a strong presence around the world, and I think musicians have an edge in this because they spread by radio.
Beyonce - I don't really know about her worldwide presence but she is the biggest music star in the U.S.. so I have to assume in the world at the moment as well.
Ronaldo - There are a few athletes I could pick, but I think some of them may have lost relevancy with younger generations. I don't know much about football, but I know it's the most popular sport around the world by far. And I (think?) ronaldo is maybe the most popular player?
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Self explanatory. Some of his action movies are huge worldwide. He was mr perfect or mr olympia or whatever that was. He is insanely recognizable.
Jackie Chan - Famous in the U.S. and China - so I figure he's famous everywhere else too?
So my actual pick for #1 is Obama. But I'd like to believe it's actually someone else. What do you guys think? I imagine there are famous people in other countries that I don't know about because I am a dumb american.
A few years ago I came across a report or something which concluded that George Bush and Paris Hilton were the most famous/recognizable people in the world (at the time). I can't seem to find it now though :/
One of the biggest if not the biggest regular events that exist on earth is the US presidential election so it seems pretty safe to bet on the current president as the most recognized person alive. I can't imagine any place where they don't cover this election. The US having a hand in many big things that happen on this planet makes the president even more famous.
Anyway I'd put my eggs in the Obama basket as well.
I believe Michael Jordan is considered one of the most popular and most recognized athletes worldwide but it might not be on the same level as some of the football/soccer stars
I considered Michael Jordan, I think at a time he would have definitely been up there... but it's been a while since he was actually playing, so I think his fame has faded some. I think Muhammad Ali is more famous worldwide anyways, or even Pacquiao. I don't even know who Maradona is haha
Michael Jackson is dead, coag
And no I am not joking with Bono, why would that be a joke. U2 has been big for a long time, and Bono is very famous for many reasons.
I think it's Obama probly. I feel that everyone who listens to music or watches sports, is exposed to enough media to know Obama, but it doesn't work the other way around.
On October 18 2014 11:32 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: Currently, it's probably Barack Obama. Especially off your list, Obama by far.
Also, Michael Jackson is dead.
I think Bush is more famous. 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq were all HUGE news. Obama had big news when he was elected first because he is black but since then there were not such memorable events as Bush had during his time.
Sports: Messi or Ronaldo Art: Madonna or Jackie Chan
My list: 1. Barack Obama 2. George W. Bush (still) 3. IdrA
Notable deceased: 1. Osama bin Laden 2. Mohandas Gandhi 3. George Washington 4. Abraham Lincoln 5. Elvis Presley 6. Michael Jackson 7. Adolf Hitler 8. Jesus Christ
It's obvious that no musician or sports player will make this list if the person isn't recognized by people who are completely oblivious to their usual habitat. No Bono, no Ronaldo, no Jackie Chan. Obama/Bush are recognized by people worldwide, regardless of them being interested in politics or not. If it weren't for western ignorance of chinese politics, I would wager Xi Jinping would be on the top of the list (then again, he's only been in office for a year or so, so perhaps Wen Jiabao or Hu Jintao are more recognized).
Among deceased people, Hitler obviously is on the top of the list, joining the ranks of people like Napoleon and Djingis Khan.
Of course, most famous dead (or not... ) people on earth are Jesus and Mohammed.
I've often wondered what image/symbol would be the most recognized if you asked every person on Earth.
I bet it's something sad like the logos of McDonald's, Coke, or Apple. Presumably the Cross, Swastika, yin yang, American flag and others are up there.