Time names 'The Protester' as Person of the Year

"The Protester" has been named Time's Person of the Year for 2011.

The selection was announced on NBC's The Today Show.

The magazine cited dissent across the Middle East that has spread to Europe and the United States and said these protesters are reshaping global politics.

Time said it is recognizing protesters because they are "redefining people power" around the world.

Last year, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg got the honour, which goes to the person the magazine believes most influenced events of the past year.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke received the honour in 2009.

The 2008 winner was then president-elect Barack Obama.

Other previous winners have included Bono, President George W. Bush and Amazon.com CEO and founder Jeff Bezos.