Time’s editor, Richard Stengel’s observation about journalist’ fascination and fear of citizen’s playing the role of publisher, is obviously applicable to many other professions. Participatory, bottom-up media and user generated content does shake the tree at the roots, but YouTube notwithstanding, this isn’t exactly something new. Alvin Toffler (borrowing from McLuhan) gave a name to the phenomenon about quarter century go –he called us ‘pro-sumers.’ People who would consume as well as produce.

The ‘mirror’ on the computer screen of the Jan 06 cover of Time is appropriate to an extent –the it’s-all-about-me idea. But it doesn’t capture the other aspects about social media –the participatory aspect, the ability to create niches– covered in the story. Or the fact that YouTube isn’t about the watching, but the filming.

NBC’s Brian Williams raises that question often unspoken -the problem of me-ness, and the consequence on society when we miss the bigger picture. No, he’s not making the case for the old media (he’s a blogger AND an anchor who believes in the social media as a ‘window’ to the editorial process, not a mirror held up to the anchorman) but wondering if we are shortchanging ourselves in the process.