Isn't It About TIME It's All About You

TIME magazine, first published in 1923, was the brainchild of Henry Luce and Briton Hadden. It began as a small publication run by these two men, but over the years it grew into a multi million dollar making, internationally respected magazine, one that boasted that it always kept it's readers abreast of events with newsworthy significance in the world. But more than merely reporting events, Time magazine had the power to bring political figures up close and personal to it's readers, and the power of the written word it contained with in proved to help shape the outcomes of the events TIME Warner reported to the reading world.

One well-known feature of the publication, one that has served to bring far away political figures to life for American minds, has been the annual tradition of “naming” of a “Man of the Year.” Beginning in 1920 with Charles Lindberg, a person who had been most notably in the news the previous year would be the feature of the magazine. Their face would don the cover and a feature story would appear. Of course, in more recent years that title has been changed to include women, and it is now we no longer say, “Man of the Year, but “Person of the Year.”

The Peron of the Year feature recognizes not only individual men and women, but also groups of individuals who have had the biggest effect on the previous year's news. It’s interesting to note that the special title of “Person of the Year” is not always given to someone you would admire or look up to. The award is given not for “being a hero,” or doing some good act of justice or compassion. The prestigious title is given to those who have simply affected the year’s events in the news. In 1939, Time's man of the year was Adolph Hitler.

In December 2006, TIME's Award was presented to an individual for “seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game.” You might be surprised to know their identity, whom it is that has done all of this to earn the "person of the year" award. Time’s Person of the Year for 2006 is…(drum roll please) YOU! That’s right, it was you.

The picture on the cover didn’t really have a picture of “you” on it. It pictured instead a computer monitor. It would appear that "You" are now not really you, but a machine, however, the computer monitor did have a reflecting paper mirror for the screen. The idea behind it of course was that YOU, would look into the paper computer monitor screen and, “Whalla!” You would see yourself! Hey, that would be YOU, right there on the cover of TIME.

You are absolutely brilliant and newsworthy.

Never mind that YOU could be a billion other people too. Never mind that you are not really an individual any more, and that you are replaceable by any one of 6 billion others in the world. Just go ahead, let your ego be stroked with the glorious thought, let your heart be impressed with the notoriety that it is YOU, who made the cover of TIME magazine!

After all, YOU have seized the reins of the global media and are responsible for founding and framing the new digital democracy.

It is, after all, all about YOU.