Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg a Worthy Choice as 2010 Time Person of the Year

This morning, Time magazine editors announced the iconic Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as the Time Person of the Year 2010. The announcement, while not a complete surprise, certainly shocked quite a few out there as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lead the readers' poll. Time editor Richard Stengl cited Facebook as a global influence of unprecedented scope while announcing the decision.

Contrary to the opinions of numerous vocal critics Zuckerberg was the right choice for the honor this year for a number of different reasons.

Perhaps the most important is the huge success that Facebook is enjoying, especially over this last year. Currently topping 600 million users and a reported billion plus pieces of content Facebook is certainly the most successful site of the year by any regards and is second only to the biggest boys such as Google. This success puts him as the 35th wealthiest American of 2010, something nobody could have imagined just a few years prior.

Although some seem to have forgotten after their picks were passed over Facebook is a globally important tool, not just a place to "stalk" some distant acquaintance. It is a medium that so many people on a worldwide scale are connected to everyday and, perhaps most importantly, it is not filtered by any government but is free speech and expression at its finest.

Zuckerberg also has the rare trait of an elusive man finally exposed. Although the name was previously out there until this year nobody really knew who he was. In 2010 he was shown to the masses in a feature length box office film as well as appearances on 60 Minutes and Oprah.

The other popular picks do not quite measure up to this mogul. Surely Julian Assange is gaining massive attention at the moment but would you have been able to say a few words about him three months ago? How about last spring? Many also called for the Chilean miners to be featured this year but that is simply not going to cut it. Since when was a large group of men a person? Fortunately we didn't have to see that as it is just about as bad as when Time copped out and name "You" as its 2010 person of the year; how special. How about choosing the tea party as so many suggested, that's even worse than a small group of miners as it is a huge group of everyday people.