Wikipedia Argument

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Wikipedia Argument Paper MGT/521 Diane Hunt-Wagner Wikipedia Argument Paper With the overwhelming popularity of Wikipedia—the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit, to continue to deny the Website’s usefulness is like ignoring an elephant in the room. Although Wikipedia does allow free flow of information, the question of its use as a reliable source lies in whether or not the site’s content is credible or merely informational. This paper will attempt to present both sides of the Wikipedia reliability argument. Wikipedia - In the Beginning The founder of Wikipedia, 44-year-old Jimmy Wales, was born in Huntsville, Alabama, and developed his thirst for knowledge from a subscription to World Book Encyclopedia. The periodic corrections…show more content…
The editors at Wikipedia consist of volunteer editors, writers, and administrators who attempt consensus to ensure comprehensive, quality material is produced by the millions of worldwide contributors (Bernstein, 2011). New information is posted much more quickly than print resources, ensuring the most up-to-date information on any given subject. Another advantage of Wikipedia is easy access via the Internet. In today’s technology-laden world, access to an Internet connection is almost as common as restroom facilities. Providing students, researchers, and the public across the globe with a library that does not require a working knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System provides more opportunity for learning, collaboration, and connectivity. The site posts guidelines for supportive communication that allows people to debate ideas across cultures. Researchers may find answers to social and cultural questions by studying the communication norms employed by Wikipedia. According to Reagle’s (2010) Harvard study of Wikipedia norms for communication, “gems of collaborative wisdom might be encountered and adopted by practitioners” (p.…show more content…
Insects like ants and bees, who thrive in colonies, exhibit intelligence as a group but not as individual entities. Colonies of ants and bees perform complicated procedures by spreading knowledge quickly across all members of the colony—impending danger, a shorter route to food, etc. (Miller, 2007). Wikipedia, this global experiment in collectivized knowledge, may have some scientific implications for the nature of swarm intelligence. "It's now possible for huge numbers of people to think together in ways we never imagined a few decades ago," says Thomas Malone of MIT's new Center for Collective Intelligence. "No single person knows everything that's needed to deal with problems we face as a society, such as health care or climate change, but collectively we know far more than we've been able to tap so far" (Miller, 2007,

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