For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past two weeks, former Iraqi… For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past two weeks, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was hanged in a controversial and well-publicized execution Dec. 30.

Following Saddam’s execution, video clips of the deposed leader’s hanging became available to the masses, with the aid of camera phones and user-generated Web sites such as YouTube. Unlike the official video that was broadcast not long after Saddam’s execution, the two clandestine videos that have been leaked include audio, with voices taunting Saddam – the official video was muted – as well as graphic images of the dictator after his death.

The cell phone footage – which revealed a less-than-dignified execution – has unleashed a flurry of sympathy for the former dictator within the Arab world, with many looking past Saddam’s atrocities and viewing him as a fallen hero of sorts.

Saddam’s cell phone-captured and Internet-spread execution marks a significant turning point in the way we get our information.

Last year was the year of the “blogger,” as we know, thanks to Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” issue. The access to and use of user-generated information, a concept practically invented in 2006, has now become commonplace in Americans’ lives. We YouTube, we Facebook, we MySpace and some of us even have our own blogs.

Last year may have been the year of the cell phone video camera as well, with camera phones capturing the faux pas of everyone from former Virginia Senator George Allen to Seinfeld alum Michael Richards.

So, it is no surprise that a video leak of the deposed Iraqi dictator would somehow find its way onto the Internet. The problem is that unlike the former cases of Richards and Allen, which revealed the character flaws – that might be an understatement – and inherent racism of the offenders, Saddam’s video has actually garnered sympathy for the former leader of Iraq, which could produce potentially hazardous effects in an already-tempestuous situation.

American involvement in Iraq is already under intense scrutiny, and the martyrdom of their former leader is likely to complicate U.S. efforts to enlist Arab nations to help reconcile the violent conflict between Iraq’s Sunni and Shi’ite communities.

But, while the leaked cell phone video may have intensified and jump-started sympathy for Saddam, it is inevitable that his execution would have made him a martyr, regardless of the video.

And, while Saddam’s case may have been a first, we doubt that leaked execution videos are going to become the new Internet craze. There is a historical precedence in showing the slaying of deposed dictators, and Saddam’s case was truly unique.

Although the graphic nature of the video may be offensive to some, it is important that it is out there. The beauty of user-generated sites is that we seek out the information. Graphic images of executions would likely never make it into the mainstream media, but with the Internet at our fingertips, curious net-surfers have the choice to watch the video.

We are the first generation to have this type of information at our fingertips, and whether we choose to see it or not, the fact that it is available is groundbreaking.