Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/February 11 to 17, 2018

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Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (February 11 to 17, 2018)

Prepared with commentary by Stormy clouds

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Snow Leopards

This week's report can be summarily reduced to three events - the cinematic behemoth that is Black Panther, the ongoing Winter Olympics in South Korea, and the horrific school shooting in Florida. The report is dominated by articles related to these topics, diverse as they may be. Media may captivate, between incessant sports coverage and Hollywood productions, but the sad tragedy of pointless bloodshed casts a dark shadow over the report as a whole. Though less diverse than usual, there is stark contrast and interesting content in this week's iteration of the Report, between the weather-plagued Olympics and the searing and scorching heat of Wakanda. Ergo, I found the report riveting to compile, and hope that it is as engaging to peruse as it was to produce.

Without further ado, for the week of February 11 to February 17, 2018, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:

Rank	Article	Class	Views	Image	Notes
1	Black Panther (film)		2,341,749		Black Panther (director Ryan Coogler pictured) may not be the first film adaptation of a black superhero, but it is arguably the first good one. The masses, this Wikipedian included, journeyed to the fictional utopia of Wakanda to follow the adventures of the fabled King T'Challa, and it has captured the cultural zeitgeist in doing so. I think that the willingness of the Big Six to buck their shared history and make stories about minorities is a massive positive for the industry, and like their last such effort, Black Panther's cultural relevance is being leveraged into a box office behemoth.
2	Shaun White		2,253,849		The greatest snowboarder of all time consolidated this lofty title in Pyeongchang this week, as he claimed his third gold medal in the sport. His display was utterly dominant, as he performed tricks with immense prowess and poise. If his famous amigo is anything to go by, we can anticipate White to diversify into games of swiftly declining quality.
3	2018 Winter Olympics		1,816,173		The Winter Olympics have never interested me in the slightest. Perhaps this is a result of my homeland's abysmal track record, but it has always struck me as the lesser Olympic games, reducing in scale and importance. Yet, even for me as a snow grinch, this year's ceremony is piquing my interest: between phenomenal performances by American snowboarders (#2 and #12), and the political significance of the host's ice hockey team, this is a highly intriguing event.
4	Priya Prakash Varrier		1,177,538		A very curious entry here, as the Indian sub-internet was set alight by a mere wink this week. The model, who will star in the upcoming film Oru Adaar Love, set the information superhighway abuzz this week following the release of a trailer for the movie. So far, so routine, even if the film's premise is toned down compared to some of its cinematic compatriots. Yet, the intriguing part of this story arises from the fact that the fourth most popular article of this week may not even exist next week. It is currently a fleeting stub... just like a wink.
5	Valentine's Day		1,125,181		The annual ceremony of consumerism love rolled around again this year, bringing with it a cornucopia of chocolate, flowers, and interred hearts. I do not subscribe to the Hallmark holiday, yet I did enjoy myself this year as my little Liver birds shredded their Portuguese opponents in the Champions League. So, footie fans, even if they were not on a date, it was ensured that no Liverpudlian would walk alone.
6	Johnny Weir		1,007,840		Weir, a former figure skater, is part of a duo with Tara Lipinski on NBC, covering the Winter Olympics. The LGBTQ activist engages audiences daily by commenting on events over in Pyeongchang, and this is drawing many internet users to his article. I can't say that I find the sport too intriguing, but their shared commentary is riveting and humorous, perhaps accounting for their popularity.
7	Curling		843,968		Hands down the greatest part of the Winter Olympics, ice pétanques is riveting. This sport lies squarely at the intersection of skill, mental computation, teamwork, and precision, and I adore it. I could watch it indefinitely, which is convenient, as NBC need to air something to maintain their wall of coverage.
8	Tara Lipinski		840,046		The former figure skater and Olympic champion is part of NBC's analysis panel for the Winter Olympics (#3) alongside her co-anchor, Johnny Weir (#6). Perhaps her ubiquity on the Peacock network has propelled her figures on Wikipedia upwards, as has her sharp critiques of the skaters. Living outside of the US, I cannot say that I am too familiar with Lipinski and her credentials to analyse the Winter Olympics, but the last syllable of her surname is irrefutably apt.
9	Elon Musk		810,064		For many wealthy celebrities, one has to discuss the negative attributes of the person alongside the positives. There is a reason why the biographies of so many Forbes favorites are so long. Yet for Musk, it could be summarised thusly - ameliorated online finance, revolutionised vehicular transport, enhanced space transport, and may be our Martian colonist. Now that he slotted a car in orbit, he is multiple steps closer, and also produced an amazing video in the process.
10	Deaths in 2018		741,231		People have a horrible tendency to die. It is inescapable and inevitable, and there is nothing that we can do to alter this fundamental truth. No amount of wealth, no accumulated notability, no masterful magnum opus, nothing will prevent this. Notable individuals die too, and this week, as with any other, hundreds of thousands of people journeyed to a list of their names, to ruminate and reminisce on love and legacy.
11	Ash Wednesday		712,929		As a long-suffering atheist surrounded by the devout, I am far too well acquainted with this procedure. Every year, to mark the beginning of Lent, Christians rendezvous with their local priest so that they can have the ashen remains of palm leaves, prepared a year prior, placed on their heads in the form of a cross. A strange ritual, but one which my grandmother informs me is of the utmost importance. Anyway, for wearing some dust on your forehead, you are entitled to pancakes the day before, so it is a fair deal in my book.
12	Chloe Kim		692,611		Now, this snowboarder is one that I am familiar. For whatever reason (likely a daytime TV drought), I caught Miss Kim as she reigned victorious over the competition with a phenomenal performance on the halfpipe. Ultimately, the only snowboarder who could top the seventeen year-old's impressive first run was herself, in a run which earned 95.5, and made the commentator very excited indeed, as she strung multiple tricks together. Brilliant athlete despite her youth - just don't make it weird
13	Columbine High School massacre		656,217		Perhaps the most infamous of the many, many, many school shootings stateside, the Columbine massacre is where Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher, before committing suicide. Up until this week, it was the worst massacre to occur at a high school. Columbine occurred in the 1990s, before 9/11, and reminded the USA of the heinous evil which can manifest itself, and affected the culture of the era to a large extent accordingly. Not enough to change anything, though.
14	Lindsey Vonn		647,709		Vonn is an American alpine skier who has caught the public's attention as a result of negative comments she made regarding President Donald Trump. These comments courted controversy online, and have proven detrimental to her reputation, with many branding her as anti-American, with many internet critics hoping that she fails. I feel that this is anti-thetical to the Olympic spirit myself, and should be unequivocally condemned. Vonn has an opportunity to claim a medal in the downhill, which she won in Vancouver.
15	Stoneman Douglas High School shooting		623,110		There is little to say here that has not already been said. Here likes naught but tragedy. The most tragic thing is not the seventeen fatalities, the seventeen lives robbed of potential and a future. No, the tragedy lies in the routine nature of this atrocity. Within a mere six weeks, there have been 29 mass shootings in the United States of America. They are so common that the "minor" ones fade to the background. This does not happen in other countries. It does not happen in places where there is minimal legal access to firearms. Defend your constitutional rights by all means, but know that innocent lives are lost as a direct consequence of the Second Amendment. This fact is irrefutable, and the Founding Fathers would be left aghast if they could witness the brutal cost of the right to bear arms which they inscribed. Inaction is tolerance, and tolerance is reprehensible. A political lobby is holding a nation hostage, and as a result, havens of education are becoming hellish nightmares of viciousness and violence. Children have the right to not be murdered in school - some rights are more important than others.
16	School shootings in the United States		571,182
17	Adam Rippon		558,698		Rippon is openly homosexual, and as such occupies a rather unique position in the history of the Winter Olympics. Competing as a figure skater, he won a bronze medal, becoming the first openly gay American medal winner at the Winter Olympics. He then leveraged this historical and groundbreaking success to become a correspondent on the Games.
18	BTS (band)		519,673		Over here in the West, we are often removed from foreign culture, particularly that of the Far East. Sure, certain properties transcend the inherent language barrier (Godzilla and Gangnam Style spring to mind). However, courtesy of the ongoing Winter Olympics (#3), we are getting a prolonged glimpse into the culture of South Korea, its music included. Apparently, BTS are music, and are a genre-defining K-pop act, and are now crossing over and attempting to "break America", to adopt the parlance of British and Irish bands. If the sheer volume of Twitter interactions regarding the band (502 million in 2017) is any indication, this attempt will be a success.
19	Winter Olympic Games		517,749		Many of the entries on this week's iteration of the Report revolve around the ongoing games in Pyeongchang. This likely prompted many people to burrow by clicking through links, a situation which proved endemic with royal articles back in December following the release of The Crown. Ergo, it is of little surprise to my inner statistician - let's call him Daniel - that the generalised article makes its way onto the report.
20	Chadwick Boseman		512,976		A truly excellent actor, Boseman portrays the titular King T'Challa in Black Panther (#1), donning the costume he first took on in Captain America: Civil War once again. Despite the presence of a massive number of burgeoning and talented black actors appearing in the film, Boseman still shines above and beyond as he delivers a captivating and nuanced performance.
21	Black Panther (comics)		509,568		T'Challa is the king of the fictional Wakanda, and as such controls vast swathes of vibranium. The metal, blended as an alloy with adamantium to form Captain America's shield, is worth titanic amounts of money according to Marvel canon. Thanks to the film adaptation of the character (#1), where he is portrayed by Chadwick Boseman (#20), Marvel Studios could take all of the metal off his hands, and have some change left over after the transaction.
22	Mikaela Shiffrin		505,992		Shiffrin is an alpine skier, who is currently competing, shockingly, at the Winter Olympics. While they may not interest me, the games appear to have captivated Wikipedians, particularly in the US (thanks to NBC's ceaseless coverage, no doubt). They checked in to Shiffrin's article after she claimed gold in the giant slalom, even if she just missed out elsewhere.
23	Tonya Harding		495,970		Tonya Harding is, despite a relative lack of success on the global stage, the most infamous Winter Olympian of all time. She engaged in sporting rivalry with Nancy Kerrigan for figure skating supremacy, and after her ex-husband led an attack with a police baton to put Kerrigan out of commission for the 1994 Winter Olympics, became the focal point of a gargantuan sporting scandal. Traffic towards her article now can be attributed to I, Tonya, where the controversial skater is portrayed brilliantly by Margot Robbie.
24	Nirav Modi		487,988		The Indian jewelers hit the headlines this week as they became embroiled in a fraud case. Its founder, the eponymous designer, has been accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank out of nearly two billion US dollars, and this news drove curious internet users to Wikipedia to research the magnate and his jewelry empire, including its brand ambassador, Priyanka Chopra (pictured), who is attempting to terminate her contract with the firm in light of its sullied reputation.
25	Tessa Virtue		486,323		The Canadian figure skating is part of a dynamic duo with Scott Moir, and is currently competing, with golden success, in Pyeongchang. However, this is not the reason why her figures have been propelled upwards. Rather, following a performance best characterised as steamy on St. Valentine's Day, the internet became convinced that the duo were in love, despite their insistence to the contrary. So, it appears, the highly successful skaters are merely platonic friends, and their relationship is professional rather than amorous. Eh, still a better love story than Twilight.

Exclusions

• This list excludes the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the talk page if you wish.

Note: If you came here from the Signpost article, please take any discussion of exclusions to this article's talk page.