Dark Side of Wikipedia: Difference between revisions

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Proposed thesis by Vasilis Kostakis.
* Article: Identifying and understanding the problems of Wikipedia’s peer governance: The case of inclusionists versus deletionists. by Vasilis Kostakis. First Monday, Volume 15, Number 3 - 1 March 2010


URL = http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2613/2479


=Description=
[[Category:Research]]
 
"Proposal for the MA in Technology Governance, University of Tallinn
 
The dark side of Wikipedia
 
Towards a critique of peer governance and propositions for its enhancement


The free encyclopedia Wikipedia is often hailed as a prominent peer project where
[[Category:Governance]]
individuals voluntarily participate and, using mechanisms of self-governance, they
produce a vast knowledge base i.e. a Commons. This productive process of projects
such as Wikipedia has been called as commons-oriented peer production [Benkler,
2006]. Peer production, a term coined by Yohai Benkler [2006], is a third open mode
of production that has become typical for the Internet in recent years, where decisions
arise from the free engagement and cooperation of producers. This mode is radically
different from market-based production, which is based on equivalent exchange
[Benkler, 2006], and planned economies that rely on hierarchical structures. In
addition, peer governance is a new mode of governance and bottom-up mode of
participative decision-making that is being experimented in peer projects, such as
Open Source and Free software production and Wikipedia [Bauwens, 2005] .


However, various criticisms have been leveled against the Wikipedia regarding the
[[Category:Peergovernance]]
mode of peer governance that is followed. The power structure within the Wikipedia
is 'invisible', 'vague' and 'opaque' giving chance to the tyranny of structurelessness,
as described by Jo Freeman [1970], to emerge. Critical questions such as "where is
the power in Wikipedia?" and "what kind of dysfunctionalities does the Wikipedia
experience? Why does it happen?" are going to be examined and answered during the
conduction of the thesis. Therefore, using the Wikipedia case as a point of departure
this project will try to draw some conclusions upon the dysfunctional sides of peer
governance and make any suggestions for its enhancement. Furthermore, these
conclusions and theoretical findings will allow for a consideration on peer
governance, wiki-politics and democracy."


 
[[Category:Articles]]
=References:=
 
Bauwens, M., (2005), The Political Economy of Peer Production, Ctheory.net.
URL <http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=499> (retrieved 10 March 2007).
 
Benkler, Y., (2006), The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets
and Freedom, Yale University Press.
 
Freeman, J., (1970), The Tyranny of Structurelessness, The Berkley Journal of Sociology.
 
 
[[Category:Research]]

Latest revision as of 13:41, 24 July 2010

  • Article: Identifying and understanding the problems of Wikipedia’s peer governance: The case of inclusionists versus deletionists. by Vasilis Kostakis. First Monday, Volume 15, Number 3 - 1 March 2010

URL = http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2613/2479