Time Magazine, Zuckerberg and Assange.

Time Magazine has just engaged in a strange snub of its readers. It had invited readers from all over the world, to vote on whom they thought should be Time Magazine's Person of the Year, 2010. The world duly voted. They chose Julian Assange, with 382,026 votes, far outpacing the runner up, Recep Erdogan, at 233,639 votes. One would, therefore have thought, were Time Magazine a democracy, that Julian Assange would have won. He didn't. Mark Zuckerberg, with 18,353 votes, won. To be fair, Time Magazine did note, in its pages, that the final decision rests with its editors - however it does make clear that Time Magazine's competition is not a democratic one. The voice of the world's people is not one that Time Magazine listens to, on this issue, at least.

Now, Time Magazine is, of course in a difficult position. If it had gone with the world's voters and put Julian Assange on its cover, as Time's Person of the Year, it would have offended the US government, with whom Assange is presently battling. So, Time may have felt it had no option but to bury Assange's result, by putting him in third position, as they did. Yet, that opens them up for another problem: offending those very same voters. About one quarter of all the votes cast, were for Assange. That suggests that, most probably, one quarter of its readers support Assange as the top choice. Those people have been snubbed. Their views have been dismissed. That could have repercussions for the sales of Time Magazine since there is one thing that is very obvious about Assange's supporters: they are very passionate. So, Time Magazine, could now be in the position of having irked many passionate people, who are likely to do word of mouth damage to Time Magazine.

There is a lesson here for Time, I think. If Time does not wish to be held to the views of its readers, then it should not even have a poll, on the matter of whom should be Time's Person of the Year. It is a kind of faux engagement and fake democracy, to do so.

Time should also reflect on this: Mark Zuckerberg does not appear to be that popular a figure. When you consider that Facebook has 600 million users, 18,353 votes for him, on Time's poll seems mighty few. Whatever Facebook users think of Facebook, they don't go out of their way to be supportive of Zuckerberg, as a public figure.

Compare this to Julian Assange. He received nearly 21 times the number of votes as Mark Zuckerberg. Yet, he does not have a social network with 600,000,000 followers to his name. That suggests that, proportionately speaking, a lot more people have been impressed this year, by Assange's contributions (whatever anyone in particular may think of them, good or bad), than they have by Mark Zuckerberg's. It also suggests that Assange has been more influential in making an impact on people's minds, this year, than Zuckerberg has.

Time Magazine has played it safe: it has avoided causing tensions with the US authorities and has chosen the "local boy made good", as its hero of the year. It does also suggest that, as a US based media, it does not feel free to express a truth that would be unpalatable to the US government. However, I do wonder what impression this will leave on its many readers who voted for Assange. All will note that Time Magazine doesn't listen to them. Some may choose, as a result, to become ex-readers - they may call time on Time, as it were.

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