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The Culture of Connectivity - Jose Van Dijck - Chapter 7



This chapter focuses on Wikipedia. Wikipedia is much different from the other sites discussed in the book so far, however its inclusion in the top influential actors in the digital landscape is undeniable. 

Wikipedia is a "professionally run, volunteer based, nonprofit organization whose goal is the online production of an encyclopedia" (p. 132). It's nonprofit status came about due to the creation and maintenance of the Wikimedia Foundation. The sites is founded on five basic principles, but she never actually lists those 5 principles, but says that neutrality is the most important of them and while the elements that measure the success of the encyclopedia also cause "disenchantment" for those who feel that the focus on neutrality and the bureaucratic structure limits the site.

Van Dijck discuses the users of the site and states that crowd management is one of the sites biggest strengths. She points out that it is neither the specialists or the generalists that contribute the most value. Based on the research of the site, it is the fact that both are active that makes the site so successful. Both types of input are important. The specialists bring quality and the generalists bring connectivity! Te crown management is best seen in its ability to accommodate many of these different types of users, including the passive reader and active contributor, the occasional or the frequent poster, etc.

In terms of technology of the site there is a fascinating focus on the use of bots on the site. If you are looking for specifics, I recommend checking out the book chapter, but for the purposes of this post I'm going to be a bit broad. The site has bots for several different tasks and they are included in the hierarchy of permissions. The bots are either editing (coauthors that supplement or maintain particular topics or pages) or non-editing (admins that perform technical tasks). They are all considered content agents, but neither the bots nor humans work alone. It is really interesting and like I said, it's worth the read!

Wikipedia ties into the connective culture with other social media sites, but has many stark differences. It does not compete for the same digital or physical resources as other sites like Facebook or Twitter. In addition while those sites are primarily working in the realms of entertainment and socialization, Wikipedia focuses on sharing knowledge which, according to Van Dijck, elevates all social media content. It is important to note that while there are important distinction between Wikipedia and other social media sites, this does not mean that they conflict. In fact the sites goals of neutrality mesh very well with Facebook's focus on sharing and Google's use of popularity ranking in searches. Van Dijck says that its this compatibility that has allowed the site to maintain its place over the years. 

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