‘You’ named Time’s person of 2006

“You” have been named as Time magazine’s Person of the Year for the growth and influence of user-generated content on the internet.

The US magazine praised the public for “seizing the reins of the global media” and filling the web’s virtual world. Time has been giving its controversial awards since 1927, aiming to identify those who most affect the news.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Chinese leader Hu Jintao and North Korea’s Kim Jong-il were 2006 runners.Microsoft founder Bill Gates, his wife Melinda and rock star Bono won the accolade last year and recent winners also include President George W Bush in 2004, and “The American Soldier” in 2003.The magazine said naming a collectivity rather than an individual reflected the way the internet was shifting the balance of power within the media through blogs, videos and social networks.Time cited websites such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Wikipedia, which allow users to interact with the web by uploading and publishing their own comments, videos, pictures and links.Time praised the tool that made such broad collaboration possible – the web.BBCTime has been giving its controversial awards since 1927, aiming to identify those who most affect the news.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Chinese leader Hu Jintao and North Korea’s Kim Jong-il were 2006 runners.Microsoft founder Bill Gates, his wife Melinda and rock star Bono won the accolade last year and recent winners also include President George W Bush in 2004, and “The American Soldier” in 2003.The magazine said naming a collectivity rather than an individual reflected the way the internet was shifting the balance of power within the media through blogs, videos and social networks.Time cited websites such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Wikipedia, which allow users to interact with the web by uploading and publishing their own comments, videos, pictures and links.Time praised the tool that made such broad collaboration possible – the web.BBC