'Move Along Now, Nothing to See Here': The Private Discussion Spheres of Wikipedia

Oz, Ayelet

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1726450

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Furthermore, in order to understand the gender gap, it is essential to view critics who analyze the power-relations that undermine the ethos of equality in the website. Looking at the manner in which knowledge is organized in Wikipedia, Oz (2009) shows a map of the conversation pages as places in which hidden hierarchies and lack of transparency among decision-makers exist; this in contrast to the allegedly open policy of the website. The power of administrators within the platform was also noted by Auerbach (2014) who finds that one of the reasons Wikipedia has become sexist and elitist is that “administrators tend to protect those they know and those with whom they agree while disciplining unfamiliar editors and ideological opponents.” Ford and Wajcman (2017) argue that the gender bias is related to male norms and mechanisms within the infrastructure.…”

Section: Research Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strangers in a seemingly open-to-all website: the gender bias in Wikipedia

Lir

2019

EDI

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Purpose Throughout the years, many scholarly answers were given to the question regarding the gender bias in Wikipedia. However, the research literature seldom explores how different barriers are interconnected and rarely focuses on what prevents women who initially declared their interest from eventually participating in the website. The purpose of this paper is to deal with this lacuna and explore the gender bias in Wikipedia through examining how the different barriers are interlinked in a manner that deters women and prevents them from editing in the website. Design/methodology/approach Based on action research with a mixed evaluation method and two rounds of interviews, the research followed the steps of 27 Israeli women activists who participated in editing workshops. Findings The findings show that having the will to edit and the knowledge of how to edit are necessary but insufficient conditions for women to participate in Wikipedia. The finding reveals two categories: pre-editing barriers of negative reputation, lack of recognition, anonymity and fear of being erased; and post-editing barriers of experiences of rejection, alienation, lack of time and profit and ownership of knowledge. The research suggests a “Vicious Circle” model, displaying how the five layers of negative reputation, anonymity, fear, alienation and rejection – enhance each other, in a manner that deters women from contributing to the website. Practical implications In order for more women to join Wikipedia, the research offers the implantation of a “Virtuous Circle” that consists of nonymity, connection to social media, inclusionist policy, soft deletion and red-flagging harassments. Originality/value Throughout the years, many answers were given to the question regarding the gender bias in Wikipedia. However, research literature seldom explores how different barriers are interconnected and rarely focuses on what prevents women who initially declared their interest and who attended editing workshops from eventually participating in the website. The current research has taken upon itself to deal with this lacuna and explores the power-relations in Wikipedia through three questions: first, why an educational intervention did not increase participation? Second, how the different barriers described by research group members are interconnected and enhance each other in a manner that prevents women from editing on the website? and third how can the gap be narrowed?

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Section: Research Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strangers in a seemingly open-to-all website: the gender bias in Wikipedia

Lir

2019

EDI

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“…En particulier, l'égalité de tous et l'absence de hiérarchie sont en partie des vues de l'esprit. En effet, même si ce n'est pas apparent, surtout pour les novices (Oz, 2009), on y trouve une structure administrative très élaborée. Celle-ci peut être informelle, comme la « patrouille RC », qu'on peut joindre de sa propre initiative, qui surveille les changements récents.…”

Section: Wiki(pédia) Et L'enseignementunclassified

Enseigner en ligne au moyen d’un wiki : enjeux éthiques et choix technopédagogiques

Couture¹

2015

ethiquepublique

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Ce document, disponible à http://r-libre.teluq.ca/104,est mis à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. Enseigner en ligne au moyen d'un wiki : enjeux éthiques et choix technopédagogiques Mots-clésWiki, enseignement, apprentissage, éthique, communs AbstractFor an online university course, I devised a Wikipedia-like wiki based upon the same principles, rules and values. For instance, users may edit almost any page, even the learning activities instructions. However, during the design phase and the ensuing test period involving a few students, I faced a paradox of ethical nature. On the one hand, I wanted to provide an open and transparent collaborative environment, where everybody abides by the same rules and all issues are discussed overtly. On the other hand, as part of my responsibilities as a professor, I must respect course objectives, enforce administrative rules, ensure the integrity of assessment, and maintain conditions which facilitate learning. This tension led to various compromises, notably on the transparency of student-teacher interactions. The question is still open: To what extent is it possible to apply the values and practices of the commons to a formal learning environment?

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The Paradox of Novice Contributions to Collective Production: Evidence from Wikipedia

Gorbatâi

2014

SSRN Journal

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'Move Along Now, Nothing to See Here': The Private Discussion Spheres of Wikipedia

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Strangers in a seemingly open-to-all website: the gender bias in Wikipedia

Strangers in a seemingly open-to-all website: the gender bias in Wikipedia

Enseigner en ligne au moyen d’un wiki : enjeux éthiques et choix technopédagogiques

The Paradox of Novice Contributions to Collective Production: Evidence from Wikipedia

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