In 2006, Time Magazine named me “Person of the Year”. It’s true. Google it. They named you, too.

Had I realized that I was so important, I would’ve let you all know long ago. I am a filmmaker. I am a media mogul. My videos have been seen by hundreds. The one about the frightened hamster–by millions. Perhaps you’ve heard of my success by means of youtube and myspace. I am Tela Tequila. I am skateboarding dog. I am Al Gore and Tipper. I am all of you. I am us.
Old media like Time want to lump us all together. Damn you, Time. I am not Tela.
I am Ryan. No one has heard of me. I am not person of the year. But I do have several social networking sites, a youtube channel, a blog, and recently, I got a free dog. I am in the process of teaching him to skate.
Only time (not the magazine) will tell whether or not New Media will unite the masses and divide the monolithic old-media pangea into a new world of bold personalities and undefined market audiences. “You” are not me. I am. So back off Time, and give it…well, time.
However, I do revel in the possibilities of new media to help drive us into a more participatory culture. Will it increase democracy, or just turn us all into light-saber wielding, mya-la-hee singing freakazoids? I suppose we won’t know until Tron-guy tells us.