I called it!By now you've probably heard about Time Magazine's 2006 Person of the Year: You.
And I think I might have to agree with Heather Orne that the Time Magazine employee in charge of choosing the Person of the Year must've called in sick that day...but, anyway.
What are the odds? Jon and I were just having this conversation not too long ago. About the "Information Age" that we now live in and how people actually aquire said information--how much that process has changed. While Wikipedia is a great resource for many things it still can't be cited as a relevant source of knowledge. (My co-worker's grad-student husband has had a multitude of undergrads try it in one of the political science courses that he's TA-ing. How funny is that?)
Whilst we used to take pen to paper and log a personal file of feelings, emotions, and events, we now have weblogs--where we publicly fill virtual space with the same (usually--but no offense fellow Bloggers!) fodder.
At the same time, I get it, I get it: it's nice to have a voice and know that somebody, somewhere out there might actually be listening and might actually agree. But mostly it's just a nice way to stay closer in touch with those loved ones that are further away.
Where all of this becomes slightly dangerous (and I get slightly agitato) is when people can sit back, voice an opinion, and because someone else sees it in print form, takes it for the truth.
(Trust me, I'm guilty too. "2007 New Year's Resolutions...")
Which is why our socio-political Sensei Stephen Colbert's Wikiality (where "if enough people believe something is true...it is!") is so vital to our new way of Information Gathering. A lot of it has to be done tongue-in-cheek. Most of us at home, slackers and non, have the opportunity to just keep adding to that vault of "knowledge" and there's no bouncer at the door. It's "All Skate." And it's all just OUT THERE for us to stumble upon. (Why do I have to know about Rosie O'Donnell's blog? Oh yeah, because I read about it on another blog.)
And you know it's true, you just read it on the internets.
Ok, so like it or not, Congratulations YOU!
The Dude approves.
(p.s. -- Download "Vigo Bay" by Minotaur Shock!)
