Wikipedia and the Representation of Reality
- Length: 122 pages
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- Publisher: Routledge
- Publication Date: 2021-08-31
- ISBN-10: 0367555700
- ISBN-13: 9780367555702
- Sales Rank: #5691959 (See Top 100 Books)
A contemporary examination of what information is represented, how that information is presented, and who gets to participate (and serve as gatekeeper) in the world’s largest online repository for information, Wikipedia.
Bridging contemporary education research that addresses the ‘experiential epistemology’ of learning to use Wikipedia with an understanding of how the inception and design of the platform assists this, the book explores the complex disconnect between the encyclopedia’s formalized policy and the often unspoken norms that govern its knowledge-making processes. At times both laudatory and critical, this book illustrates Wikipedia’s struggle to combat systemic biases and lack of representation of marginalized topics as it becomes the standard bearer for equitable and accessible representation of reality in an age of digital disinformation and fake news.
Being an important and timely contribution to the field of media and communication studies, this book will appeal to academics and researchers interested in digital disinformation, information literacy, and representation on the Internet, as well as students studying these topics.
Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface 1 Wikipedia’s Pillars and the Reality They Construct Introduction Wikipedia Is the Encyclopedia Neutrality as the Language of Representation Openness as an Ethic and Ideology Wikipedia Is a Community Wikipedia Has No Firm Rules No Rules, But Lots of Hierarchy Wikipedia as Cultural Hegemony An archaeological Approach to Wikipedia 2 What Counts as Information: The Construction of Reliability and Verifiability Introduction Problematic Information An Assemblage of Policies Reliability Neutrality Verifiability Distributed Information Vetting Print Culture as Exclusionary Epistemology Wikipedia as Epistemology in Process Implications for Public Knowledge 3 What Counts as Knowledge: Notability, Knowledge Gaps, and Exclusionary Practices Introduction Everything Cannot Be Everything: Defining through Exclusion What Wikipedia Is Not Notability: A (Messy) Recipe for Inclusion Notability and the Case of Clarice Phelps Beyond Policies: Exclusion through Other Means Amplification and the “Funneling” of Biases in Wikipedia Unequal Access to Sources Who Really Decides and Why? 4 How Wikipedia Decides on Who Gets to Contribute: Wikipedia Community and Engagement Introduction Exclusion in the Wikipedia Community Gatekeeping Newcomers Overt Harassment Passive vs. Active Inclusion Inclusion Concerns at Its Core Homogenous Culture-of-Use Be Bold Assume Good Faith Working on Inclusion with Wikipedia Community Initiatives 5 The Reality That Shapes Wikipedia The Realities of Reliability, Exclusion, and Community Wikipedia Remains the Last Best Place on the Internet Mending Wikipedia’s Representation Problems Limiting Gatekeeping and Gatekeeper Influence Stronger Commitment to Diverse Knowledge Knowledge Production and Representation Requires Constant Revolution Wikipedia’s Greatest Potential Is Change Bibliography Index
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