Leads: Jonathan Zittrain, John Palfrey
We don’t know who uses Wikipedia, we don’t know what values does it vindicates
How do people actually use/abuse it?
- many kids use it without participating/understanding; are kids plagiarizing
- how easy is to become a Wikipedian: try participating earnestly; experiment with particular forms, like deleting articles; concerns about “going native”
Is wikipedia egalitarian?
- who is participating, excluded
- control of code – control of content
- abuse of those who give freely?
Does peer production make us into the Borg?
- effects of lack of singular authorship
Is Wikipedia accurate?
- citing Wikipedia as a source
Why did not Academia came up with Wikipedia? Is Academia losing the sense of what’s important? And what’s important right now? Maybe the health of the Network is an issue that should be urgently addressed (disclaimer: I fully agree, but it’s Jonathan Zittrain who says this at the gates of the publication of his next book The Future of the Internet – and How to Stop It ;)
Readings
Zittrain, J. (2007). The Future of the Internet – and How to Stop It (Chapter 6). [forthcoming]. New Haven: Yale University Press.
More info
- Wikipedia’s Technological Obscurification: Three ways Wikipedia keeps 99% of the population from participating, by Jason Calacanis
- Thinking of Wikiing, by Daithí Mac Síthigh
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