Why does the train wreck known as Charlie Sheen have 2.2 million Twitter followers (and counting) and a radio channel devoted to his every utterance? Is he just a freak show who will fold up his tent and disappear? In fact, I think he may have more long-lasting impact on the way we share content than we would like to admit. To be sure, we’re fascinated with his public melt down. But he’s doing something else, too: being unpredictable. And we like that.

As entertaining as Conan and John Stewart are, they are also predictable. Funny, yes — but we know basically what we are getting when we share their worlds with ours. With Charlie Sheen, we have absolutely no idea where he’s headed next: dissing Two and Half Men one day, making tiger blood an instant cultural phenomenon the next (and inspiring a new energy drink).

I discuss Charlie Sheen and his potential impact on the future of content on the iCrossing Content Lab. Here’s also an interesting discussion on Slate (as if you’ve not seen enough by now).

The only thing missing: a new Charlie Sheen movie directed by Mel Gibson.