I Surf, Therefore I Am
So sayeth Time Magazine in naming the Person of the Year for 2006. If you use a computer or create online content, you are one of the designated important people who really matter.
The annual honor for 2006 went to each and every one of us, as Time cited the shift from institutions to individuals — citizens of the new digital democracy, as the magazine put it. The winners this year were anyone using or creating content online.
"If you choose an individual, you have to justify how that person affected millions of people," said Richard Stengel, who took over as Time's managing editor earlier this year. "But if you choose millions of people, you don't have to justify it to anyone."
Well, obviously, anyone reading these words I wrote is an above average, intelligent and downright good-looking person. As is, modestly, your humble host. But seriously, there has been a huge change in the world due to the internet. The repercussions of that change have yet to be fully understood. I think Time, while dodging a tricky call that would have brought them some serious abuse (see the link), may be on to something whether they meant it to be so or not. The world is changing. One pixel at a time.
Let's all hope it changes in the best possible way, sooner rather than later.
UPDATE: Time Magazine article here. Ed Morrisey is not impressed by the selection. I'm not sure if that means his readers aren't as good looking as mine, though.
UPDATE: Hah! Ed fell for my clever trap! Since, by definition, anyone reading this is darned good-looking, anyone coming over from Captain's Quarters falls into that category! I have succeeded in stealing all of Ed's best looking readers! (But do take a look around while you're visiting). Also, Blog PI actually predicted this pick by Time Magazine two months ago. They have either a) the deluxe crystal ball or b) an incredible ability to call the predictable. They attribute it to b).
Civilization, Media | Gaius December 16, 2006
Other Links to this Post
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bRight & Early — December 17, 2006 @ 7:26 am
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Captain's Quarters — December 17, 2006 @ 8:41 am
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Sensible Mom — December 17, 2006 @ 3:30 pm
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Don Singleton — December 17, 2006 @ 3:57 pm
By TC@LeatherPenguin, December 17, 2006 @ 2:40 am
WHERE’S MY CHECK?
smiling like a giddy biddy at the thought that TIME has just told an appreciable part of the nation they are clueless tools.
By daveinboca, December 17, 2006 @ 1:34 pm
I love the Captain’s getting the Chrysler ad on the Time article which says “You may not be the Person of the Year” to which we can all say “Oh yes, I am!”
Of course, POTY is an appropriate acronym much of the time as the enterprise once founded by Henry Luce to bring some light and coherence to the nation’s citizens has become a clueless rag without enough spine to nominate Ahmedinejad or Bashar al-Arse-ad, or even Dear Leader.
As the planet subsides into murky quicksand, Time sends us a smiley-face for Christmas!
By lawhawk, December 18, 2006 @ 2:33 pm
I’ve thrown my Person of the Year award over the White House fence to protest the asinine nature of this award. Who’s with me?!