Development vs Revolution

     “Humans are social animals,” said Aristotle. More than two millennia after his death, the great Greek philosopher’s statement seems ever more valid. A large portion of the rapidly developing technologies of the modern society are centered around 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 sensation in the world, acquiring more than 600 million users in January 2011, of which over 15 million were active. Thus, it is not surprising that Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, became the ‘Person of the Year,’ a title given by the Times to the most influential person of the year. However, it is controversial as to whether another person deserves the title. Upon inspection, it is reasonable that the title should be given to another person – Julian Assange.

     Last year, the aggressive actions of North Korea towards its southern counterpart aroused issues concerning the possibility of unification between the two divided Koreas. In the midst of speculations, a secret diplomatic document between China and the United States was revealed by an equally secretive organization, WikiLeaks. The document enclosed information about the advantages China would receive in the case of Korea’s unification. WikiLeaks is an organization composed of unidentified members who operate all over the world and extract secret documents and information from government facilities and corporations. This information is posted on its website for the world to see. Among the information the organization leaked are 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 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.

    Advocates of Zuckerberg justify the 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. 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 casted for Assange in the deciding of the ‘Person of the Year,’ and why Assange was announced the ‘Readers' Choice for TIME's Person of the Year 2010.’

     In a parody about Mark Zuckerberg and Julian Assange, the fake 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 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.