Week 11 – The Power Structure of Knowledge on Wikipedia – WU JIACHEN

Summary:

Wikipedia is widely known for its decentralized model, but upon closer examination of its editing system, I found that the platform’s “openness” actually hides a subtle power structure. First, although Wikipedia allows anyone to edit, in practice only a small number of active editors dominate content control, giving them far more influence than the average user. Second, the administrator system grants certain users special privileges such as deleting, protecting, or blocking pages. While these roles help maintain order, they also contribute to the formation of “editorial elites.” Additionally, the English version of Wikipedia significantly surpasses other language editions in both scope and depth, creating a form of “language inequality” that affects global knowledge distribution. Interestingly, entries on less popular regions or niche topics often rely on a handful of dedicated users—once they become inactive, those pages stagnate, revealing imbalances in Wikipedia’s knowledge structure.

Interesting Points:

I noticed that Wikipedia’s “edit history” itself serves as a social microcosm. For instance, one can trace how an article evolves—being debated, revised, deleted, and restored. This dynamic process is not just about building knowledge, but about negotiating authority. Sometimes, edits made by anonymous users are quickly reverted by senior editors, showing a continuous back-and-forth between decentralization and recentralization. This highlights that knowledge on Wikipedia is not neutrally presented—it’s shaped through power dynamics and normative filters.

Another interesting observation is Wikipedia’s “reliable sources” policy. While intended to prevent misinformation, it also unintentionally excludes oral histories and local knowledge from communities lacking coverage in mainstream media. For example, traditional festivals or indigenous practices from certain regions may be omitted due to a lack of “valid sources,” revealing that Wikipedia’s openness is still bounded by specific knowledge systems and verification standards.

Discussion

Does Wikipedia unintentionally reinforce a Western-centric knowledge structure?

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