Swami Vivekananda

About Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) was a pivotal Indian Hindu monk and philosopher, renowned for introducing the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world, most notably at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893. His profound impact on religious thought and the Indian independence movement secured his position as a historically important figure, ranking him #734 in MIT’s Historical Popularity Index across global cultural influence.

Despite his significant historical weight, Vivekananda's online presence in 2025 suggests a notable attention gap. He accumulated 1.2 million annualized Wikipedia views, which is a fraction of what more modern figures with comparable historical importance garner. For contrast, Al Capone, ranked #992, received 2.5 million views, while Stanley Kubrick (#957) drew 2.4 million-figures with similar historical placement yet more than double the contemporary internet attention.

This disparity is further underscored by a steep decline in recent digital engagement: Vivekananda’s 2025 view count saw a year-over-year drop of -37.9%, and his Q1 versus Q3 momentum was -40%. This indicates that while his historical importance is established, the modern internet currently pays him significantly less attention, registering as a +4x overattention gap relative to his contemporary viewership compared to his established historical rank.