In defence of Mark Zuckerberg as Time’s Person of the Year
By Linda Forrest
That title alone is probably enough to put me in the crosshairs of many a critic of Time Magazine‘s selection of Facebook’s inventor and leader as its person of the year for 2010. But personally, I think that the selection is merited and that the vitriol detractors have spewed in light of his naming reflects more sour grapes than anything else.
Here’s why I agree with this recognition:
1. Zuckerberg’s creation is an influential force in more than a 12th of the world’s population’s daily lives. He’s responsible for changing the modern communications paradigm. Period.
The scope of his achievement is truly unparalleled. According to the Time profile, Facebook recently signed up its “550 millionth member. One out of every dozen people on the planet has a Facebook account. They speak 75 languages and collectively lavish more than 700 billion minutes on Facebook every month. Last month the site accounted for one out of four American page views. Its membership is currently growing at a rate of about 700,000 people a day.”
