Wikipedia: An Inaccurate Yet Helpful Encyclopedia

692 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Using technology and its effect to education

From the dawn of its time, mankind has always created mistakes and errors. In all of its creations and inventions, there is bound to be some error here or there. Mediums such as print and digital are innovations of mankind. Therefore, we can conclude that such mediums contain some type of error or inaccuracy. For the past decade, two such “pedias” have been argued about their accuracy, reliability, and facilitation. Even though it contains error by allowing common people to edit it, Wikipedia is a more helpful and comprehensible source of information than the intricacy and difficulty created by the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Despite their earlier claims and assertions, scientists and modern commenters are now withdrawing most of their accusations. Not only are they realizing that Wikipedia’s articles and information are void of numerous errors but also are witnessing the rapidly increasing use of Wikipedia, compared to that of the Encyclopedia Britannica. One such columnist, Cecil Adams, recently withdrew his accusation of Wikipedia: “Quit with the Wikipedia because from the standpoint of reliability, Wikipedia might as well be written by gorillas”(Adams). Critics, like Adams, were forced to change their view because of a recent journal that compared both Wikipedia and the Encyclopedia Britannica. This journal, Nature, found out that out of forty-two articles analyzed by experts, both references contained the same amount of major errors, establishing the fact that Wikipedia is near accurate as the Encyclopedia Britannica (Wolchover). Thus Wikipedia’s accuracy is better than what most reviewers thought would be.
Only last year, Encyclopedia Britannica declared that they would no longer be publishing any more print versions. After...

... middle of paper ...

... for many people: to contribute and safeguard the truth. Wikipedia has always played such a key opponent to the Encyclopedia Britannica because of its accessibility and use of technology. Thus Wikipedia is a very popular source of information not only because of it efficiency but also because of its uniqueness.

Works Cited

Adams, Cecil. Interview by Conrad. The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader, 13 July 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
Ashman, Matthew. “Students debate value of Wikipedia as reliable source”. Daily Sundial. California State University, 26 March 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
Northern Essex Community College. “Wikipedia: Pros and Cons”. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
Silverman, Matt. “Encyclopedia Britannica vs. Wikipedia”. Mashable.com. 16 March 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
Wolchover, Natalie. "How Accurate Is Wikipedia?" LiveScience.com. 24 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • The Short-Term Consequences Of Gutenberg's Printing Press

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    Books today are everywhere. We find them in many households, libraries and schools all around the globe. We find many different types of books; from stories to educational textbooks, we regard them today as sources of knowledge and amusement. But it wasn’t the case before 1455. That year, one of the greatest inventions in human history was revealed to the world; Gutenberg’s printing press. This press allowed printing in massive quantity, spreading books all around Europe and the rest of the world at a fast rate. The printing press had many positive consequences on society. At first, it standardized grammar and spelling, and then introduced the mass production of books. It finally inspired future printing technologies around the world.

    Read More

  • Google's Impact on Human Cognition

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    Andrea Schlesinger’s, “In Google We Trust” a chapter in her book The Death of Why? The issue is that the internet has changed people and that it may not be a good thing. Google has changed the way that people think greatly, especially in our ability to analyze, understand and know the source of the information we receive from google.

    Read More

  • How Mark Morris Changed Dance

    1207 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Wikipedia Collective. (2010, February 22). Mark Morris. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Morris

    Read More

  • ' The Things People Say, By Elizabeth Kolbert

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    The internet is a hub of information. It is easy to access this information and resources by simple looking up a simple topic. How much of this information is actually true? In The New Yorker article “The Things People Say” author Elizabeth Kolbert explains the dangers of believing wholeheartedly the information given to us online. She uses logos to prove that the internet can be biased with information through “group polarization” and a site’s inability to upload contradictory information. She fails however with ethos in her paper because she is hypocritical.

    Read More

  • Is Google Making Us Stupid?, by Nicholas Carr

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    With one easy click on the search button, Google grants entry to a reservoir of information for our use. Carr acknowledges that the internet “has been a godsend to [him] as a writer” because of the ease of finding information rapidly (Carr 732). Before, he would spend days searching through lengthy articles for the same material. Thus, web-browsing proves that not only is the internet useful for finding relevant information, but it is a time-saving tool. In today’s gener...

    Read More

  • Gang Violence

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    Simpson, M. , David. Los Angeles Magazine. N.P.. July 24, 2013. Web. January 30, 2014

    Read More

  • Is Google Making Us Stupid?

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although Carr’s sources may be highly praised in their field or study, they are not experts in the effects the Internet has on our minds. Bloggers are often very opinionated and do not pose as reliable sources for information. The fact tha...

    Read More

  • Nonverbal Communication

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chevrier, Donna. (1994, July). Let's Face It. CMA Magazine, Vol. 68, pp. 26 - 27.

    Read More

  • Too Much Information?

    2183 Words  | 5 Pages

    The "pervasive, invasive information infrastructure...is as much a part of our lives as religion was for medieval surfs" (Tetzeli 1994, p. 60). But is it too much? We've all seen the mind-numbing statistics about the exponential growth of information and of technological means of distributing and accessing it. However, some people question whether the problem really is one of overload. One source of the problem is actually the multiplicity of communication channels. Unlike earlier eras, such as when printing presses replaced manuscript copying, new technologies are not replacing older ones but are adding to the host of media choices (Davidson 1996). With these multiple channels the information flow is now simultaneous and multidirectional. However, most traditional information management practices are too linear and specific: they were pipes developed for a stream, not an ocean (Alesandrini 1992). The sheer quantity of information and the speed with which it can be acquired give an illusion of accomplishment (Uline 1996).

    Read More

  • Website Evaluation

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Now that we are living in an ever changing world, technology is viewed as the most resourceful tool in keeping up with the pace. Without the use of technology, communication would be limited to using mail for delivery and encyclopedias for research. Although technology has improved the way we communicate and find information for research, the information is not always valid. Unfortunately, for those of us who use the internet for shopping, research, or reading articles of personal interest the information is not treated the same as a your magazine or book. While such literature is reviewed by an editorial staff, internet literature or information can be published by anyone. In order to reap the full benefit of having the use of technology for any purpose, there are five basic criteria’s one must keep in mind as an evaluating tool for deciding whether or not the particular website is a reliable source for information.

    Read More

  • Reasons to Why Print Media is on The Decline

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    The topic of interest in this literature review is on whether print media or digital media is better than their counterpart. Print media is a medium used to disseminate information or news on printed matter (“print media”). For example: newspapers, magazines, books. Digital media is digitised content that can be transmitted over the television or through computer networks like the Internet which constitutes text, graphics, audio and videos (“digital media”).

    Read More

  • The Role of Electronic Media in the Evolution of Presenting Literature

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through the years works of literature have been distributed through many different means. These means usually reflect and take advantage of the latest technologies. Dominant sources of literature have changed over time. Today, instead of scouring though the local library’s card catalog, prospective readers will likely log onto Amazon to find the latest book in their favorite genre. Media technology has made communicating increasingly easier as time has passed throughout history. Everyone is now encouraged to use media tools and is expected to have a general understanding of the various technologies available. Only time will tell what the future will hold for electronic media. The present avenues may one day be looked back upon as today’s Library of Alexandria and be just another ruin in the history of literature.

    Read More

  • Importance Of The Printing Press

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    The printing press has a huge impact on society by allowing a large amount of written copies to be published in one time. The printing press also lead to the ability to spread information across the world much faster, and easier. It may be unfair to claim that the printing press was the cause of the massive modern media usage. However, the printing press influences every aspect of the world’s culture. The printing press was an instrument that brings significant shifts in science, politics, religion, and the modes of thoughts. It is hard to evaluate the social and cultural impact of a new media, but the innovation of the printing press most likely proves major transformations in the use, influence, and character of human

    Read More

  • Google and Human Brain

    1111 Words  | 3 Pages

    Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Norton Field Guide to Writing. 3rd ed. Eds. Richard Bullock, Maureen Daly Goggin and Francine Weinberg. New York: Norton, 2013. 731-745. PDF.

    Read More

  • Technology Making Us Lazy Essay

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    Firstly, most people today get all their information from the internet instead of books . While the internet is great there are some problem with getting information online. One of those things is sources anyone can create a website with information. The problem is that anyone can write information on the subject and the information could be wrong. Today everyone has the option to

    Read More

More about Wikipedia: An Inaccurate Yet Helpful Encyclopedia

Open Document