The Depths of Wikipedians—Asterisk

Abstract

This interview explores the internal dynamics, communities, and challenges of Wikipedia through the perspective of a prominent community member. The discussion reveals Wikipedia’s complex social structure, characterized by distinct editing communities focused on specific topics like military history and tropical cyclones, as well as a core group of roughly 300 highly active decision-makers. While Wikipedia has successfully built a vast repository of knowledge with seven million English articles, it faces significant challenges in maintaining and updating content, particularly in areas underrepresented by its predominantly male editor base, such as women’s biographies and traditionally female-oriented topics. The interview highlights tensions between Wikipedia’s original libertarian ideals and its current need for strict rules and guidelines, as well as the relationship between volunteer editors and the Wikimedia Foundation. Notable concerns include the difficulty of acculturating new editors, the inefficiency of consensus-building processes, and the future impact of large language models on Wikipedia’s role as an information source. The discussion also examines Wikipedia’s strengths in certain topics like military history and US politics, while identifying weaknesses in areas such as influencer coverage and business articles. - AI-generated abstract