untangling_the_web

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» Wikipedias are available in 229 languages. These are not always just
translations of the English language Wikipedia but often contain their own
content.
» Wikipedia's eight-word self-description-"neutral and unbiased compilation of
previously written, verifiable facts"-usually keeps out articles about "my
funniest dreams and what they mean" (no original "research" allowed), but
firefights over controversial topics and outright vandalism occur on a regular
basis.
» In 2006 comedian Steven Colbert's amusing rant against "wikiality" and
"truthiness," i.e., that reality and truth are what the most people say they are,
and his charge to his viewers to change a Wikipedia article on African
elephants caused the entire site to go down temporarily. His point is well
taken: if enough Wikipedians agree that the earth is flat, then the Wikipedia
will reflect that "wikiality." While that is an absurd example, people vehemently
(and often violently) disagree over the most basic topics (try to think of
anything that isn't controversial).
» Wikipedia "does not favor the PhD. over the well-read fifteen year 0Id.,,80
While the democratization of knowledge and information has a certain appeal,
the fact that Wikipedia pages dealing with policies, rules, administration,
coordination , and other metadata now comprise thirty percent of Wikipedia
indicates that the free-for-all nature of Wikipedia is giving ground to the harsh
reality of the need for "crowd control." There is a fine line between democracy
and mob rule.
» There is no "weighting" of the relative significance of any topic: compare the
Wikipedia entries on the Beatles v. Boethius. Judged by sheer quantity,
articles on popular culture far exceed those of traditional scholarly topics.
Given its potentially limitless size, this may not be a drawback, but if
everything from 'The Simpsons" to "The Nicomachean Ethics" is on an equal
footing, then aren't we back to the Colbert criticism that all objective
standards are obliterated?
» Diane White correctly identified Wikipedia 's "ouroborosian" nature: it is fiercely
self-referential in that all the works cited in this creature of the Internet are
also on the Internet.
» Some critics maintain that emergent enterprises such as Wikipedia reflect an
"online collectivism" that lead to a kind of group think and produce poor
quality results that both appeal to and are a product of the lowest common
80 Shiff, "Can Wikiped ia Conquer Expertise?"
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