The Biz of Coding

Again — Is Wikipedia Controlling References to Predominantly Western Sources?

by Ujwal Tickoo on April 20th, 2008

I had a fair share of tough times before my wikipedia article on Social Network Aggregation got published. Initially the wikipedia article was put on notice for deletion several times and I had to really really push to keep it alive!

I started this article by contributing my own blog content. It has now been expanded and enlarged while my original content and references have mostly been deleted. Arguably I am not an authority or important contributor to the subject in the view of powers that hold control out there at Wikipedia on this article.

Although I was amongst those who predicated that Social Network Aggregation will be one of the biggest trends in 2008 and popularized the idea in the online world. (Over a 100 saves on Delicious).

Ahhh….yes. I have not published a PhD paper on this subject and I live in a country that was earlier known only due to the Taj Mahal, hosted snake charmers, and now offers cheap IT labor. And btw I dont belong to the special circle that non-stop refers to itself in every possible real world / online forum? Hmmmm…..

My wider gripe with Rigged Social Sites

I believe that most "social wisdom" sites today are rigged by special interest groups. If you are not amongst the blessed diggers on Digg.com — forget your submissions reaching a wider audience. The HomePage presents a biased view of those who have made a circle of friends who vote for each other's submissions. And since Digg.com is a US product (though accessed world wide) — the stories that make the home page hold a biased Western world-view.

Although I feel that India's indianpad.com has fallen into the same rigging rut. (Now only a few blessed individual's submissions reach the home page.) – Interestingly Wikipedia deleted articles on indianpad.com several times because it was deemed a website not important enough. Perphas because it was an Indian/Asian news-votes aggregator and not western? You get the point?

Eventually this will lead to a lack of democracy in views and votes online. Category Portals can be only few – due to network effects and limited media attention. There would be only a handful of Digg.com's. When these portals get dominated by a specific world-view then all the value in wisdom of the crowds will get diluted. 

POSTED IN: Wikipedia