You are the Person of the Year

Much will probably be made about the new Time magazine since it points out that you are the person of the year. It is sort of a cop out, and it might be a little too early and presumptuous, but I love it. I hope Time is right. I hope that all this talk about the “Web 2.0″ isn’t just a fad that will die out. I hope it keeps its grass roots sensibilities. I hope that the Information Age also becomes an age of cooperation and collaboration. I hope that big corporations don’t attempt to suck all of the fun and excitement out of it by trying to make billions of dollars out of a tool that I feel should change the world for the better. I really like this paragraph from the first article about the person of the year:

But look at 2006 through a different lens and you’ll see another story, one that isn’t about conflict and great men. It’s a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It’s about the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people’s network You-Tube and the online metropolis MySpace. It’s about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes.

Just typing those words gives me goosebumps. And yes, I know that sounds goofy, but I like the idea of people helping people for the greater good. They aren’t trying to make a buck, they aren’t trying to sell you something, and they don’t want anything in return. They just want to be a part of something and make their voice heard. You want to step out of the shadows and be noticed…just once. This is not just something that kids do to pass the time. When will we all see this power of the web and truly come together?