Wikipedia is a wiki, which is (according to Wikipedia) “a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor”. Wikis are generally collaborative and incorporate content created by people outside of the employ/membership of the web site's owner(s) itself.
Wikipedia as a Part of Space
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Wikipedia functions in a more general space of the internet wiki community (as well as the internet as a whole, and even more generally, educational/journalistic space). Most of the wiki community is very familiar with Wikipedia, and there are a variety of smaller wikis on the web that are related to or imitate Wikipedia. Many of these sites use MediaWiki, Wikipedia's wiki software, though some choose other or more specialized wikis, like DocuWiki (wiki software) or TV Tropes (proprietary wiki). The Wikipedia Foundation itself hosts a number of sites and wikis related to Wikipedia, like Wiktionary and Wikibooks.
Wikipedia is owned and maintained by the Wikipedia Foundation, of which Jimmy “Jimbo” Wales, Wikipedia's co-founder and community leader, is a member of the Board of Trustees. The Foundation is non-profit, though Wales has started for-profit endeavors based around it, such as Wikia.
- See: Uncyclopedia
- See: Encyclopaedia Dramatica
Many wiki's, especially those hosted using the MediaWiki software (like Wikia wikis), link extensively to Wikipedia, particularly for policy and guideline blueprints. In turn, these wikis are commonly added as links in relevant Wikipedia articles, thus creating a network of information and users. This reinforces the notion of Wikis as occupying a larger shared space than just themselves.
Media
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Wikipedia is currently treated as a useful tool by many web users, though it has a somewhat taboo status in academia, and criticism of it is plentiful. Wikipedia itself has been addressed many times by old media and new media alike, such as newspapers and blogs. These outlets collectively construct Wikipedia's place among other forms of media in the internet/media landscape. Wikipedia is large enough for examples of a plethora of critiques of the site can be backed up, and most of Wikipedia's applicability is rooted in how these other institutions and other forms of media create a framework of when it's appropriate to use Wikipedia and when it is not.
- See: Conservapedia
- See: Criticism of Wikipedia
- See: MSN Article
The Wikipedia Foundation shares most of its material by using the GNU license, including its wiki software, MediaWiki. Additionally, Wikipedia can be used (and abused) in order to bring attention to (or promote) specific ideas and ideologies, which influences general users—especially those using Wikipedia as a research tool—and can impact other forms of media like blogs and editorials.
On multiple occasions, articles have been edited by users and groups that violate POV policy, and have been publicly ostracized for their activities. It's clear that those who shouldn't be editing Wikipedia frequently attempt to do so, and it's likely that the majority of them aren't caught (those that are caught are only found because they make edits using company computers/IP addresses). Groups benefit from their ability to manipulate their image on Wikipedia, and individuals benefit by being able to take part in building that image against or alongside them.
- See: my uncle's article
In the space Wikipedia occupies, no one body holds total power. Wikipedia is heavily dependent on other forms of media, as it does not accept original research for articles. This creates a self-referential loop for media forms, as other media might be references on Wikipedia, which might itself be referenced by another media, which might itself be referenced by Wikipedia, and so on. Other media sources, in turn, are given legitimacy and exposure when linked by Wikipedia.
Outside Forces
editthumb|right|Conservapedia logo Wikipedia is never given total immunity to outside forces in any way. While it can regulate itself internally, it cannot protect itself as a member of information providers. Its reputation can be damaged from outside, similarly to its pages, and targeted vandalism can take place that damages the site's integrity. Wikipedia itself is frequently made from of by other forms of media and wiki's themselves.
- See: Wikiality
Other wikis like Encyclopaedia Dramatica and Conservapedia provide unique alternatives and critiques to Wikipedia. While actively criticizing Wikipedia, they rely on the Wikipedia Foundation for their MediaWiki software and on the concept of Wikipedia as a reference for users. By supplying these other sites with their software, Wikipedia provides opportunities for dissent and difference. However, in its act of free information aggregation, it has potential to damage other forms of media (books), thereby discouraging different methods of sharing knowledge.
Wikipedia is usually valued as a tool to introduce oneself to a topic or gain general knowledge. It isn't usually used as a cited source for research. Many users value it as a place of public discussion indirectly by the way controversial articles act as shifting compromises to opposing sides, or as a target for vandalism. Online, Wikipedia is valued heavily as a general information repository, oftentimes coming up as the first Google result for searches relating to a wide range of topics. Wikipedia itself values other forms of media extensively, using them for citations and sometimes donations.
Wikipedia, in the scope of educational information spaces, has issues with accuracy, relevance, and context, which have been very influential in determining Wikipedia's place in daily life and in research. In order to improve its image among media sources and skeptical users, it may prove beneficial for them to embrace technology like WikiTrust, which helps to alleviate the perceived problems with the wiki.
- See: WikiTrust
Formalization
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Wikipedia promotes certain cultural and ideological rhetoric. Its policies and practices are largely against censorship of any kind. Its nature and license very much promotes collaboration and free information, which as a culture has had an impact on other media such as news and computer software.
Wikipedia, as an extremely relational but also very accessible work, has permeated into everyday life for much of the web-connected world. As both a collection and an affecter of “common knowledge,” Wikipedia has a role in all sorts of spaces, especially the political and the academic. Wikipedia has made efforts to transfer portions of its information on offline media in order to share it with less connected regions (such as on CD), though all distribution has generally required modern electronic equipment to use.
Over the years, Wikipedia has emerged as a central hub of knowledge, probably moreso than any other site or body. As such, it will continue to have a strong impact—and be strongly impacted by—all other forms of media and sources of knowledge.