Why Crowdsourcing Wikipedia is the Most Revolutionary Idea of the Century

In today’s digital landscape, hostility often overshadows collaboration. Remarkably, Wikipedia—a publicly editable encyclopedia—has emerged as a leading knowledge resource worldwide. “While it may seem improbable in theory, it remarkably works in practice,” states Anusha Alikan from the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit behind Wikipedia.

Founded by Jimmy Wales in 2001, Wikipedia continues to thrive, although co-founder Larry Sanger left the project the following year and has since expressed ongoing criticism, claiming it is “overrun by ideologues.”

Nonetheless, Sanger’s opinions are not widely echoed. Wikipedia boasts over 64 million articles in 300+ languages, generating an astonishing 15 billion hits monthly. Currently, it ranks as the 9th most visited website globally. “No one could have anticipated it would become such a trusted online resource, yet here we are,” Arikan commented.

Building trust on a massive scale is no small achievement. Although the Internet has democratized access to human knowledge, it often presents fragmented and unreliable information. Wikipedia disrupts this trend by allowing anyone to contribute, supported by approximately 260,000 volunteers worldwide, making an impressive 342 edits per minute. A sophisticated system grants broader editing rights to responsible contributors, fostering trust that encourages collaboration even among strangers.

Wikipedia also actively invites special interest groups to create and edit content. For instance, the Women in Red project tackles gender disparities, while other initiatives focus on climate change and the history of Africa. All articles uphold strict accuracy standards, despite critics like Sanger alleging bias.

As an anomaly in the technology sector, Wikipedia operates without advertising, shareholders, or profit motives. It has maintained this unique position for over two decades with great success.

However, the rise of artificial intelligence poses new challenges. AI can generate misleading content, deplete resources in training efforts, and lead to diminished website traffic and decreased donations due to AI-driven search summaries.