Development vs Revolution 2nd Draft

     “Humans are social animals,” said Aristotle. More than two millennia after his death, the great Greek philosopher’s statement seems ever more valid. Among the rapidly developing technologies of the modern society, a large portion is dedicated to the goal of connecting more and more people. The telephone marked the beginning of this trend, and other technologies, such as the World Wide Web and MSN, followed. The most recent social technology, Facebook, has caused a global sensation, acquiring more than 600 million users as of January 2011. Thus, it is not surprising that Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, became the ‘Person of the Year’ in 2010, a title given by Time Magazine to the most influential person of the year. However, it is controversial as to who is more deserving of the title – with particular consideration of Julian Assange.

     Last year, the aggressive actions of North Korea towards its southern counterpart aroused questions as to whether the unification of two Koreas was possible. In the midst of speculations, a secret diplomatic document between China and the United States was revealed. The document enclosed information about the benefits China would receive in the case of Korea’s unification. An equally secretive organization, WikiLeaks, composed of unidentified members who operate all over the world and extract secret documents and information from government facilities and corporations, was identified as responsible for the leak. The information extracted by the organization was posted on its website for the world to see. Among the information were documents concerning the inhumane treatments of prisoners in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and even one on UFOs and aliens. Although the specific constituents of the group were not revealed, a person assumed to be the director, Julian Assange, was arrested.

     The WikiLeaks incident caused a worldwide commotion. Before the incident, the public opinion was of a considerable trust of corporations and governments. Although people acknowledged that there were some things that could not be revealed to the public for national security reasons, such as military operation plans or state-of-the-art technologies, most believed that the unrevealed portions were minimal and ignorable. However, WikiLeaks overturned this belief completely. People realized that governments and corporations were hiding their negative aspects, secret contracts and immoral deeds from the public eye. People were horrified at these facts, and their belief about the openness of their governments was challenged as they saw the truth behind the mask. In other words, WikiLeaks had radically altered the way people view reality.

     Advocates of Zuckerberg justify Time’s decision of naming him the ‘Person of the Year’ by asserting that Zuckerberg revolutionized the way people communicate. Indeed, Zuckerberg and his creation Facebook made it possible for people to exchange information simultaneously and to a large number of people by posting their daily actions and feelings online. It made communication easier in contrast to other measures such as e-mail, blogs, or homepages. However, Mark Zuckerberg’s achievement is not a revolution, but a development. It changed the way people communicate, but it is still within the already known boundary of ‘communication.’ On the other hand, Julian Assange completely overturned and changed the way people view the world by making it clear that what is usually seen by the public is not the actual truth. He showed that it is only the tip of the iceberg that is shown. This is why Assange has made a more notable achievement than Zuckerberg, the official ‘Person of the Year.’ This is why more votes were actually cast for Assange in deciding who deserves the title, and why Assange was announced as the ‘Readers' Choice for TIME's Person of the Year 2010.’

     The parody of Assange says “What are the difference between Mark Zuckerberg and me? I give private information on corporations to you for free, and I am a villain. Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he’s Person of the Year.” This statement can be translated as meaning that while Zuckerberg gave the ultimate benefits to a small number of corporations, Assange ultimately benefited the public. Since the benefits of Assange stretch over a larger audience than those of Zuckerberg, Assange deserves to be the real ‘Person of the Year,’ not Zuckerberg.