Principled Innovation LLC

Web 2.0 goes mainstream

December 17th, 2006

Okay, it’s not precisely Web 2.0 that’s being honored, but you get the idea. As you’ve no doubt read or heard by now, TIME Magazine has selected the individual creators and users of content, conversation and community on the Web today–represented by the idea of “You” seeing your own reflection in the cover’s simulated computer screen–as the “2006 Person of the Year.” Of course, we know it is the ethos of Web 2.0 that is driving the thriving global culture of online participation and engagement. (Just for you, Jamie!)

Watching the morning talk shows today, it is clear that some in DC’s “inside-the-Beltway” chattering class are disgusted with this choice, arguing that Iranian president Mahmood Ahmadinejad and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il did more to influence world events over the last year. Apparently, TIME’s decision to recognize the growing power of individuals to shape issues and events through new media helped surface a deeper affliction among political commentators in the mainstream media today: anything that isn’t about politics is irrelevant. Hmmm, makes you wonder why so many Americans are cynical about politics in our country, doesn’t it? (And just for the record, Reston is several miles outside the Beltway.)

The question on my mind is how the notion of Web 2.0 evolves now that it is making a bigger entrance into the national discourse which TIME helps to shape. Some will argue that choosing “You” is a cop-out, an easy way for the magazine’s editors to avoid harsher criticism for “honoring” one of America’s enemies. Others will contend that the move toward user creation and collaboration on the Web is a short-term aberration, and Web 2.0 a meaningless shorthand for the ups and downs of Internet stocks.

My hope is that TIME’s person of the year selection will open the door to a different kind of conversation, one that inspires us to consider a less hyped yet more fundamental inquiry: how is living more of our lives online changing our society for both the better and the worse? For the association community, this is an especially critical question, because it challenges us (or perhaps forces us) to acknowledge that it is time to imagine new ways for our organizations to create value in a Web-enabled world. Building our understanding and willingness to experiment with Web 2.0 principles and ideas is a good way to get started down that pathway.

So if you see yourself as part of “You,” I suggest you celebrate today. Making the cover of TIME Magazine is a big deal, so don’t forget to call Mom to tell her the news. And if she understands your explanation, then you can be REALLY proud! ;>)

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