Yes, forget about peer-reviewed journals, academic experts, or even common sense – according to your cousin, who spends most of his days watching cat videos on YouTube, Wikipedia is the Holy Grail of knowledge. And who can blame him? After all, Wikipedia has everything: from the history of the world to the latest memes, from complex scientific theories to the lyrics of Britney Spears' greatest hits.
But what makes Wikipedia so great, you ask? Well, for starters, it's written by volunteers who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with the world, or so they say. In reality, it's mostly college students who are procrastinating on their assignments and nerds who like to argue about obscure topics like the mating habits of penguins.
But that's not all. Wikipedia is also incredibly democratic, meaning that anyone can edit it. Yes, you heard that right – anyone. So if you feel like adding your own opinion to an article, or maybe just vandalizing it for the lulz, go ahead and give it a try. After all, who needs accuracy or reliability when you can have fun?
Of course, some people might argue that Wikipedia is not always trustworthy, and that it has been known to contain errors or even deliberate misinformation. But those people are just haters who don't understand the power of crowd-sourcing. Sure, there might be some trolls or biased editors out there, but they are vastly outnumbered by the good-hearted volunteers who just want to make the world a better place, one article at a time.
So the next time your lazy cousin tells you that he's done his research on Wikipedia, don't roll your eyes or mock him. Instead, congratulate him on his wise choice of source, and join him in the wonderful world of knowledge that is Wikipedia. Who knows, you might even learn something new – or at least, have a good laugh.
Comments
Post a Comment