Time’s editorial staff has thumbed its nose at its audience, selecting Zuckerberg as the Time Person of the Year 2010, despite the fact that Assange was selected by the readers as a landslide winner. Time’s own opinion poll is all the evidence necessary; 382,024 readers voted for Julian Assange, far more than anyone else. And it wasn’t close. The number two slots garnered 150,000 fewer votes. Zuckerberg did crack the top 10, however with only 18,353 thumbs up. It was not necessary for him to buy his way on the list either by taking out a payday loan. Article source – Julian Assange wins Time Person of the Year 2010 in online poll by MoneyBlogNewz.
Zuckerberg’s qualifications as Time Person of the Year 2010
Saying Zuckerberg shouldn't have won the Time Person of the Year 2010 mantle is ridiculous. The World Wide Web was completely changed by Facebook. Zuckerberg, based on Time's Richard Stengel, "enables individuals to voluntarily share info with the idea of empowering them." Unlike Assange, who Stengel characterizes as a man who "sees the world as filled with real and imagined enemies," Mark Zuckerberg "sees the world as filled with potential friends."
Assange and Zuckerberg battle
In the minds of Time’s editors, Zuckerberg’s contribution to society is more valuable than that of Assange. Yet many argue that WikiLeaks has rocked the boat, giving individuals more than ample reason to question their leaders and the gilded power structures of society. There’s a belligerently loud minority that think differently of Assange. He is considered paranoid and dangerous by these people. They say that knowing what the government is doing might not be something we necessarily want to know. The argument isn't anything brand new. Anybody who cares about freedom knows that it is false.
Gaga, Beck, miners and unemployed defeating him
Audience ballots for Time Person of the Year went to the unemployed Americans, the Chilean miners, Glenn Beck and Lady Gaga. Mark Zuckerberg was after all these other people. Obviously awarding Julian Assange runner up showed that the Time ignored its readers. Afghan President Karzai was also a runner-up, and he openly confessed to being a corrupt politician.
Status update from Zuckerberg. Julian Assange has urged us to question our world beyond the borders of Farmville. Has Zuckerberg been given a fair chance to winning what he deserves? Maybe Time has just been pressured by the government though.
Articles cited
Huffington Press
huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/15/time-person-of-the-year-2010-mark-zuckerberg_n_796907.html
Time
time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2037181,00.html
Julian Assange on why the world needs WikiLeaks
youtube.com/watch?v=bVGqE726OAo
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