Janis Joplin

About Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin (1943–1970) remains a defining figure in rock and blues, ranked \#552 in historical importance by MIT’s Pantheon project for her revolutionary impact as a female rock star. Her raw, powerful vocal style and blues-infused performances during the late 1960s counterculture cemented her legacy, most notably with her work in Big Brother and the Holding Company and her acclaimed solo career, which culminated posthumously in massive success.

Despite this significant historical footprint, her modern internet attention is relatively modest compared to her ranking. Joplin registered 1.9 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025, an "overattention" factor of +5x relative to her historical standing—suggesting she receives five times the attention warranted by her HPI score. Interestingly, she receives significantly less attention than contemporary figures like Robin Williams (\#966 importance, 5.4M views) or Benjamin Netanyahu (\#744 importance, 6.9M views), highlighting a gap where less historically monumental figures command more digital traffic.

This interest appears to be on a slight decline, with her views showing an 8.2% year-over-year drop and Q1 to Q3 momentum falling by 10%, indicating that, in 2025, her cultural memory is fading slightly in the digital sphere.