The death of Encyclopedia Britannica is not a vindication of the rise of Wikipedia (“ >The web app that made information free ,” April 3). For decades, the well-researched, professional encyclopedia has been an authentic source of information and was good source material for both a school essay as well as a parliamentary debate. However, with the evolution of the Internet and the expansion of information access, checks for authenticity have been compromised. In his book, The Cult of the Amateur , media commentator Andrew Keen writes: “Look at Wikipedia, the internet’s largest cathedral of knowledge. Unlike editors at a professional encyclopedia like the Britannica , the identity of the volunteer editors on Wikipedia is unknown… Wikipedia’s editors embrace and revel in the commonness of their knowledge. But as the adage goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Because on Wikipedia, two plus two sometimes does equal five.”
The growth of open source and the spread of Web 2.0 has ensured that ‘social media’ became truly social. But no matter how democratic Web 2.0 appears, its lawless landscape leaves users exposed to all kinds of manipulations and abuses and Wikipedia is not isolated from the malaise. The Internet age has spawned the unbridled growth of the ‘hearsay’ writers masquerading as ‘journalists’ and ‘authors’ causing the spread of misinformation. Where information is knowledge, easy access to half-baked information is misinterpreted and false knowledge is passed off as ‘acceptable’. While it is understandable that vigilance can rein in vandals, can it curtail the large-scale recording of unprofessional content that is being bartered, sold and given away free in a Wikipedia dominated sphere? Internet information is free but not sacrosanct.
Venkatesh Parthasarathy,
Hyderabad
I understood the idea and the spirit behind the article — to celebrate the growth and rise of Wikipedia — but to have it almost write-off the Britannica was not fair. Britannica feeds voracious GK enthusiasts with its ‘Know for Sure’ quizzes, eBooks, the amazing Britannica School and other digital learning resources.
Britannica ’s online team is also enabling the heritage brand to occupy a niche in the global educational arena. It might not all be ‘free information’ but it is as vibrant and as authentic as ever. Can Wikipedia claim this?
Garima Capoor,
Agra
