Wikipedia as a Social Phenomenon: A survey-based assessment of the users’ attitudes

Abstract

Since it was first launched in 2001 Wikipedia has progressed into one of the most popular online resources in the world. It’s free access as well as ‘anyone can edit’ feature attract large sums of contributors from all over the world. It is a collaboration of knowledge which allows every article to become better over time. However Wikipedia encounters certain problems due to its convenient edit features. There are individuals who contribute biased information in their articles and some people even place malicious pranks. Wikipedia’s competitors take advantage of these problems by questioning its reliability. A survey was conducted in order to determine Wikipedia’s reliability based on the views of University Students. Determining how people view Wikipedia and its editing process can help to determine its reliability and explain its success.