Yes, that's right. You're Time magazine's person of the year. Along with everybody else on the internet. And also Hitler (1938). And Stalin (1939,1942).
Here is the Time magazine article explaining their choice of 'you' as person of the year. I am in wholehearted agreement with most of the article. As everybody that regularly reads this blog will know, I am very excited a the rise of social networking sites and the general impact of wide social interaction on society as a whole. The last year has marked a pretty fundamental shift in the way we think about information, communication and journalism. These changes are only going to accelerate.
I have no idea what the world will be like in ten years and can't help but be reminded of predictions from the 1950's where it was stated that by the year 2000 we would all work for about half an hour a week, our robot servants would take care of our everyday needs and jetpacks would be the primary mode of transportation. These predictions were (obviously) completely and utterly wrong, and the real revolution came completely out of left-field. The rise of a global network and the associated freeing of information was something that just could not be comprehended back then. I'm not 100% convinced we really understand its long term ramifications today.
If I did have to take a guess at what would happen next, it would be that we will enter a time of ubiquitous computing where virtually every aspect of our lives begins to involve interaction with a computer and we are in permanant communication with a global network. This will be coupled with the integration of RFID, GPS into our devices, the growth of ever-present wireless networking and even more miniturization. Each of us will carry around a whole constellation of computers, each of which is permanantly chattering to the others and also to the global network in order to keep us informed and aware; operating as part of an "internet of things" (see also Spime).
I can fully imagine a time not too far from now where when your toothpaste is empty it broadcasts a message to the cupboard, which checks if there is any more toothpaste in there and when it finds itself empty will, in turn, send a message to the fridge, which adds toothpase to the shopping list stuck to its door. At the press of a button the fridge then sends an order to Tescos, who deliver your shopping to you. It's also not too far fetched (hell this one pretty much happens now) to ask your pocket computer where you should go to eat, it combines GPS information with knowledge of your eating habits and financial situation to book you a table and then guide you towards a reasonably priced, local restaurant.
Scary? Yes.
On one final note, there is one sentence in the article that makes my inner nerd rage burn more brightly than the sun itself:
Thomas Paine was in effect the first blogger, and Ben Franklin was essentially loading his persona into the MySpace of the 18th century, Poor Richard's AlmanackComparing Tom Paine's "Rights of Man" or "Common Sense" to the sort of poorly thought out, overly verbose adolescent scribblings that make up blogs is nothing short of insulting and degrading.
Ah well. I'm off to sit by the phone and wait for the inevitable congratulatory phonecalls to roll in. It's not like it's every day I win a man of the year award.
