It might come as no surprise that the popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, is edited almost exclusively by those in North America and Europe. This is perhaps because the internet is more accessible to people in these locales. But, many individuals are beginning to notice a trend on the types of information available. There is a very Western bent to a lot of the articles on Wikipedia, especially when you consider that this demographic is responsible for 90% of the content on the website. Thus, Wikipedia is trying to reach out to communities that are responsible for only 10% of the content on the website. The goal is to get a more authentic look at concepts, ideas, people, and places that are important to this demographic.
The “WikiWordathon”
To combat what looks like a clear Western bias, Wikipedia has created something called the WikiWordathon. This works almost like a Wikipedia writing service in that the information provided will all be either new articles or improving old articles. The problem that many people find is that people who are unaffiliated with certain topics obviously don’t have a wealth of knowledge regarding those subjects. Additionally, there is simply some information that you can’t find in online resources.
For instance, the Liliesleaf Raid, an important event for South African unity and revolution, has very little information on Wikipedia. In particular, there is a noticeable dearth of information on the people who were arrested and later tried during the Rivonia Treason Trial except for Nelson Mandela. South African scholars are now trying to correct that imbalance, but, again, it’s not going to be easy. The bulk of the information about the Liliesleaf Raid and the subsequent trial can only be found in books written by other South African scholars and journalists of the era. With the help of the WikiWordathon, more of this vital information could make its way onto Wikipedia in the near future.
The Story of the Rest of the World
For some individuals, this project might seem like an exercise in futility, but many people in “the 10%” understandably want their stories to be told from their own perspective. The problem with the Western perspective, according to African scholars, is that it’s often couched in colonialism and an “us vs. them” mentality. It is the goal of the WikiWordathon to produce a Wikipedia writing service that is geared toward telling the stories of Africans, Asians, and South Americans from their own perspectives.
Obviously, the information regarding the history, culture, and livelihood of many of these people has been written by outsiders. It is vital for Africans to tell the story of Africa, Asians to tell the story of Asia, and South Americans to tell the story of South America if reliability and neutrality is to be maintained on Wikipedia. This is certainly an interesting project and it’s one that could help foster understanding throughout the world. Information that comes straight from scholars who are living it is much more poignant and important than information coming from other unaffiliated parts of the world.
by Michael Wood – Michael Wood is an online marketing expert and owner of Legalmorning.com. He specializes in reputation and brand management, article writing, and professional Wikipedia editing. He is an expert Wikipedia editor and has helped hundreds of businesses and people post their articles to the site where they have otherwise failed. He is a regular contributor to many online publications including AllBusiness Experts, Yahoo, Business Insider, and Social Media Today.