Since its inception, the popular Wikipedia has been a worldwide sensation. The online encyclopedia is based on the premise that anyone can contribute to it and has accumulated more than 3.5 million articles in languages from English to Estonian. Some articles are accurate while others are not, but public collaboration is what makes Wikipedia appealing.
But now, accuracy is not the only issue. Questions are being raised as to who is doing the collaborating – and the answer is, overwhelmingly, men. According to a study by the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia’s contributors are composed of less than 15 percent women. Sue Gardner, the foundation’s executive director, said in a New York Times article that she wants to “ensure that the encyclopedia is a good as it could be” by trying to increase female contributors.
By 2015, Gardner would like to increase that percentage by 10 or more points. Understandably, having such a wide discrepancy doesn’t bode well for the website. Going so far as to solicit women to collaborate, however, seems like an exaggerated attempt at getting them to defy the age-old stereotype that they’re not technologically savvy. In fact, the research behind the Wikimedia Foundation’s research appears skewed for the purpose of reexamining gender roles.
The New York Times article attempts to compare, for example, article entries on “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos.” Both entries include episode guides, although the “Sex and the City” episodes are significantly shorter than that of “The Sopranos.” Undoubtedly, more women are invested in Carrie Bradshaw’s than men are. “The Sopranos,” on the other hand, appeals to all types of audiences. Comparing the two seems unfair and propels stereotypeseven further. “The Sopranos” is one of the most critically-acclaimed shows ever to grace television so perhaps it has a longer Wikipedia entry based on merit.
With that said, it’s true that some women might still be hesitant to vocalize their opinions even through a neutral medium like the Internet. It’s a fact that men continue to dominant the World Wide Web. But this technological stratosphere is less important than the real world, which is why the Wikimedia Foundation’s study gives the impression of being misguided and even irrelevant. Instead of erecting foundations concentrating on disproportions in such a specialized area, companies should be concentrating on the big picture – i.e., person-to-person interactions – before taking on cyberspace.
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