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Sociocultural Implications of Wikipedia
Abstract
Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that operates worldwide on the Internet. Articles on Wikipedia are developed with close collaboration of volunteers and anyone can edit the content (Wikipedia, 2006e). Although there are many advantages of using Wikipedia as a group collaboration tool, there are important implications. First, Wikipedia community is diverse and intercultural differences can distort the communication process. Second, the neutral point of view (NPOV) policy can lead to disputes. Third, lack of supervision and open source policy can be another source of conflict. Forth, administration of articles can be complex due to differing cultural and political stand points (Smith & Kollock, 1999). Laslty, differences in time and space as well as low level of access to the Internet can significantly impede collaboration efforts at Wikipedia (Berry, 2006; Madon, 2000; Parayil, 2006; Sahay, Nicholson, & Krishna, 2003). Hence, the aim of this paper is to examine sociocultural implications of using Wikipedia as a group collaboration tool spanning multiple countries and how social and cultural climate, differences in time and space, as well as technological infrastructure of countries affect collaboration between individuals given the distinctive operational and administration policies at Wikipedia. It is believed that findings from this research will increase the awareness of the underlying cause of many disputes arising at Wikipedia. In addition, this research will lead to cultural relativism and provide neutral grounds for collaborative efforts at Wikipedia in the future.
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