Reading Report # 2

Wikipedia has become an ever-growing controversial subject and many scholars around the world are attempting to end the argument of whether it will eventually be useful in academia. Studies have been done to attempt to reveal how easy it is to place faulty information within the websites, and the findings have been somewhat stunning. One man placed seven pieces of faulty information on the site and found that within 3 hours of the postings they were edited and removed from the webpage. On the other hand, there have been cases where information has remained on the website for up to 4 months. Wikipedia has taken a noted dedication towards improving the accuracy of the information within their site, moving away from the focus of a broad depth of information. Topics that are viewed the most frequently are for the most part accurate to a T; however; it is topics such as art and folk history that are not viewed as frequently that tend to be more easily misinformed.

I believe that Wikipedia will eventually become the number one source for information throughout the World Wide Web. As the story has said, studies have already shown that much of the information on Wikipedia is already closing on accuracy-wise on encyclopedia such as Britannica and other highly prestigious entities. If I ever find myself needing the answer to a random fact I typically find myself using Google which in turn sends me to Wikipedia. The way it’s setup allows it to draw from the most sources in the most efficient manner, creating a situation that demands attention. While I believe there will be more controversy in the future surrounding this subject, I believe that ultimately Wikipedia and its innovators will win out.