WE are Time Magazine’s Person of the Year! (American Edition.) “We” being those of us who use the Internet. I’d feel a tad more special about this honour if I didn’t have to share it with millions of others but I’m still thrilled. I can’t foresee any other way I‘m going to make it on the cover of Time Magazine. The issue is available at newsstands today.
I discovered this bit of news yesterday via the CBC website.
This annual tradition began in 1927, “…with the purpose of highlighting the person or people who most affected the news, whether good or bad, and personified "what was important about the year, for better or for worse."
Regarding this year’s choice: “The editors said they were impressed by the explosive growth of video-sharing sites and user-generated content — specifically, the video-sharing site YouTube, which gets about 100 million daily views, and the social networking site MySpace, with more than 130 million users around the world.”
Lev Grossman, Time’s technology writer, noted that, “…blogs are often more immediate and authentic than traditional media." He also stated that, “[The internet is] a tool for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter.”
On the home front (my home front) the Canadian edition of Time Magazine named Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year.
Sigh.
“The Newsmaker is defined as the person, place, group, or thing that has the most impact on the news in Canada… editors predicted Harper "may yet turn out to be the most transformational leader since Trudeau, "if he wins the next federal election.”
I’m a bit worried as to what that “transformation” may entail. I’m also hoping for a big “if” as to Harper winning the next federal election.
But never mind that. The big deal today is all about us. We have made an impact. Our contributions — large or small — “matter.”
I discovered this bit of news yesterday via the CBC website.
This annual tradition began in 1927, “…with the purpose of highlighting the person or people who most affected the news, whether good or bad, and personified "what was important about the year, for better or for worse."
Regarding this year’s choice: “The editors said they were impressed by the explosive growth of video-sharing sites and user-generated content — specifically, the video-sharing site YouTube, which gets about 100 million daily views, and the social networking site MySpace, with more than 130 million users around the world.”
Lev Grossman, Time’s technology writer, noted that, “…blogs are often more immediate and authentic than traditional media." He also stated that, “[The internet is] a tool for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter.”
On the home front (my home front) the Canadian edition of Time Magazine named Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year.
Sigh.
“The Newsmaker is defined as the person, place, group, or thing that has the most impact on the news in Canada… editors predicted Harper "may yet turn out to be the most transformational leader since Trudeau, "if he wins the next federal election.”
I’m a bit worried as to what that “transformation” may entail. I’m also hoping for a big “if” as to Harper winning the next federal election.
But never mind that. The big deal today is all about us. We have made an impact. Our contributions — large or small — “matter.”
6 comments:
So Time figures internet users as people of the year? Sounds like a cop-out to me. Surely they could have found someone that made a positive contribution to the real world...
I guess I'll have to read the article.
Anyhoo, it's funny how just a few months ago McLeans did a feature on how the internet sucked. It focused on everything that was bad which is a cop-out too. Just because everything has a down side- books/movies/marriage/life etc etc doesn't mean the whole thing is bad.
trish - You're right - surely there is someone "out there" more deserving of the honour. But we did have an impact..
Re: "marriage has a down side?" Gee, I never knew that. ;)
I think it is odd, because rather than chosing a person, they have chosen a social and cultural movment or change. Which might well lead to some valid and interesting insites...a PhD in there? but it is not a person as such.
But Kudos to us all anyway, eh?
Stephen Harper, it makes me shudder, I had Mel Lastman, who was only an idiot with no morals
Harper, Probably couldn't spell mysoginist but....
Blech ptew ptew ptew.
*cring* yes *blush* he's our !!Prime Minister. *sigh*
oreneta - Yeah, sometimes they don't choose a person. And they've chosen George W. Bush twice! Guess it's more about impact - good or bad.
As for Harper - if I started ranting about him it would go on and on and on...
Stephen Harper, really? Blech.
I much prefer the US version of this, which must count for something that at least one mainstream media publication is kind of waking up to the changing world.
Now if only we could get them to turn off their lights and drive less. Then we'd really be on to something!
ragdoll - Drive less? What a dream. I was out this morning at 7:30 and the traffic was brutal. Why would anyone want to sit in traffic like that every morning? I'd go by TTC. And that way I could read!
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