Over our Thanksgiving holiday, my husband asked, “How old was Marlon Brando in ‘The Godfather’?” A simple question was asked to Google. Google’s AI answer said, “Marlon Brando was not old enough to star in ‘The Godfather’ when he died in 2004 at age 80.” This answer was wrong and funny. We took a screenshot of it and then scrolled down for the correct answer. There we found information from Wikipedia, which was more reliable.
A Journey to Wikipedia:
20 years ago Wikipedia was viewed as a dubious source. It was second-guessed in journalism and education because of the statement that “anyone can edit.” However, in these two decades, Wikipedia achieved its goal and saved itself from the problems of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google in the 2000s.
Today, Wikipedia is the seventh most popular website in the world. It is the only popular platform not owned by Alphabet, Meta or Elon Musk.
Success of Wikipedia:
Wikipedia is run by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its budget depends mainly on small donations. Researcher and Wikipedia editor Malley White believes that the secret behind Wikipedia’s success is its non-profit model.
She says, “The labor of editors on Wikipedia is not used to make a profit for any big company. On Twitter or other platforms, your free labor benefits billionaires.”
The problem with other social media platforms:
Elon Musk fired the credibility team after buying Twitter (now X). The platform now relies on a “community notes” system, in which users fact-check each other. However, many reports indicate that this system has failed.
Similarly, Meta has also announced the elimination of a third-party fact-checking team, which could further spread misinformation. Zuckerberg himself admitted, “It’s a compromise, one that allows bad stuff.”
Credibility of Wikipedia:
Wikipedia has also found some errors and misinformation. However, more than 2.8 million editors are working globally to quickly correct these errors.
“Editors on Wikipedia work to provide high-quality information. Wikipedia does not support trolling or personal political views,” says White.
Current and future challenges:
TikTok’s potential ban in the US, distaste for credibility girdles on X and Meta, and Google’s AI-based wrong answers are changing the landscape of the internet.
This makes Wikipedia’s people-oriented approach even more important. Decentralized social networks such as BlueSky have tried to emulate Wikipedia’s model, which has reached 21 million users.
Today, when big tech companies are shrugging off their responsibilities, a free and public good model like Wikipedia is proving more sustainable. Wikipedia is not just a source of information, but an example of credibility.