Week13----The rigor of Wikipedia articles---진사우 (CHEN SIYU)

 Summary:

We know that Wikipedia is the world's largest open encyclopedia, with its biggest feature being co-authored and maintained by the general public. This openness brings advantages such as rich content and rapid updates, but it also comes with challenges in terms of information accuracy, objectivity, and reliability. Therefore, it is particularly important to exercise caution when consulting Wikipedia articles.


Interesting points:

A fascinating phenomenon is that, despite Wikipedia not being an academic authority, many people still rely on it when writing papers and preparing reports. More interestingly, entries frequently edited, such as "World War II" or "President of a Certain Country," may undergo multiple changes within a short period, particularly during social hotspots. For example, after some celebrities pass away, information on Wikipedia is almost updated within minutes, reflecting its astonishing response speed, but also reminding us to be particularly cautious about verifying its authenticity when it is just updated.

Discussion:

Firstly, while Wikipedia articles have editorial mechanisms and volunteer reviews, their "anyone can change" nature determines the quality of the information. Some highly specialized or controversial entries may be intentionally altered or left with misleading content due to a lack of expert intervention. Secondly, while Wikipedia's principle of neutrality is emphasized, it may be influenced by regional, linguistic, political, and cultural contexts in practice, leading to biased expressions. Finally, users often overlook the "History" and "Discussion" pages of Wikipedia articles, which are actually crucial windows for understanding whether the content is stable and controversial.


Therefore, when using Wikipedia, we should develop good habits such as cross-verifying information, referencing source links, and checking edit records. Wikipedia can be a great starting point, but it should not be the end. True information judgment is one of the most important abilities in the age of information explosion. 


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