The World and Wiki

The evolution of Wikipedia is an interesting one. The premise of everyone having some sort of meaningful knowledge that can be offered to the public is awesome but scary. I have used Wiki as a quick overview of a topic but do not trust it for fact. Although many people who edit the articles have some expertise, many also do not. The chapter on vandalism of articles and the harm they could do was particularly telling of this. Biographies, when written and published, are done using extensive research and sometimes can take years in order for fact finding to be checked and rechecked. Oral stories which are often told through family folklore have roots in truth but are changed with every telling. These are included in biographies only with the most rigorous investigation to separate rumor and innuendo from the truth so incorrect information is not spread to damage the person's reputation. If there are inconsistencies or errors, many times there needs to be a formal disclaimer or retraction so the author or publisher is not sued for libel or slander. Then a revised edition would be released with corrections made. Wikipedia has no fear of this.  Wiki has no fact checkers other than the volunteer editors who are only as good as their interest and proficiency in the topic is. That is always hoping for the best but not knowing if that is what it is and expecting a good samaritan to come fix it if it's not. It may happen, it may not. That is not the best resource to use for truthfulness.

Even though the facts may not always be correct, since Google often lists Wiki as the first or second site when any topic is searched, many people believe it to be legitimate. Young people especially, use Wiki as a primary source while researching for papers. Too often on papers, multiple sources may be given on a bibliography page, Wiki is really the one that most of the information comes from. Kids are lazy and who wants to read through a few professional journals or boring research books when all information can be found in a concise page of the "same" info. And there lies the danger. We are once again allowing technology to make things easier but accepting mediocrity. This shows in the state of our country and educational system.  When anyone uses Wiki, they should always be aware that what they're reading may not be the truth.