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"You" was the official choice forTime'sPerson of the Year in 2006. The magazine set out to recognize the millions of people who anonymously contributeuser-generated content to websites such asYouTube,MySpace,Facebook,Wikipedia and otherwikis, and themultitudes of other websites featuring user contribution.[1][2]
While the status had been given before to inanimate objects, with thepersonal computer being the "Machine of the Year" for 1982,[3][2] as well as collections of people or an abstract representative of a movement, the choice of "You" attracted criticism from commentators in publications such asThe Atlantic for being too much of apop culturegimmick.[4][2] A 2014New York Daily News article named the 2006 award as one of the ten most controversial "Person of the Year" moments in the history ofTime.[2] The news magazine experienced generally successful sales.
While most earlier choices for "Person of the Year" have been historically important individuals, many of them infamous rather than internationally popular (Adolf Hitler was 1938's "Man of the Year", andAyatollah Khomeini won in 1979),[2][5] a few were inanimate. Thepersonal computer was the "Machine of the Year" for 1982,[3] while the "Endangered Earth" was the "Planet of the Year" for 1988.[6][2] Collections of people as well as a symbolic representative of multiple individuals had also won the award before; for example, "U.S. Scientists" were named "Men of the Year" in 1960.[5]
Similar media awards had already recognized the growing significance ofonline community and user-generated content: "You!" was the first ranking choice inBusiness 2.0's list of "50 people who matter now" in July 2006;[7] whileABC News had listedbloggers as "People of the Year" for 2006.[8]
In accordance withTime's annual process, differentbureaus suggested different candidates.[9] "You", or "theYouTube guys", was floated in November as a possible winner.[10] Readers' opinions were canvassed online.[9] The final decision was made bymanaging editorRichard Stengel.
The decision was announced inTime's December 25, 2006 issue.[1] The cover of the magazine featured aniMac computer with areflectivemylar pane appearing as the window of aYouTube-like video player, intended to reflect as online content the face of whoever picks up the magazine.[1] The time remaining indicator in the image indicates a total duration of "20:06," a visual pun connecting this ubiquitous bit of interface design to the year in which it gained ascendancy inTime's view. Stories on the new user-driven media dynamic were provided byNBC editorBrian Williams[11] andTime editorsLev Grossman[1] andRichard Stengel.[12] As Grossman describes, "It's about the many wrestling 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."
The choice of "You" as Person of the Year was criticized for not mentioning important people that influenced the events of 2006. Paul Kedrosky called it an "incredible cop-out", and he also speculated that the selection marked "some sort of near-term market top for user-generated content".[13] Commentator Kevin Friedl noted that the award and cover design recalled the mirror viewed by the protagonist, the Dude, ofThe Big Lebowski, via which the viewer's reflection was framed asTime's "Man of the Year".[14]
In December 2012, journalist David A. Graham wrote forThe Atlantic that he thoughtTime had shown "a pattern of lackluster choices" and the overall promotional nature of the process shouldn't be treated as news, rather simply viewed asmarketing. He remarked, "Is anyone out therenot sick of people ironically listing 'Time Person of the Year, 2006' inTwitter bios, a reference to the gimmicky selection of 'You' that year?"[4]
The decision raised some criticism as it was described as ideological and even hypocritically political. Some weeks before the announcement,Time decided to ask the users in a poll, "Who Should Be Person of the Year?" After several weeks, the poll winner by a wide margin wasHugo Chávez, the president ofVenezuela, with 35% of the votes. The president of Iran,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, came in second.Time did not mention these results in the announcement of their "Person of the Year" and its critics claimed thatTime discounted input from itsdigital democracy among its readers.Time supporters argue that an online poll is not representative as it has no scientific value. Thehyperlink to the online poll results has been removed.[15] A 2014New York Daily News article, which named the "You" naming as one of the ten most controversial "Person of the Year" moments in the history ofTime, also remarked that "2006 had its fair share of newsmakers" while highlighting both "Venezuela PresidentHugo Chávez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad".[2]