Editing 214: The Problem with Wikipedia
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
This {{w|Comics|comic}} {{w|Illustration|illustrates}} the {{w|Problem|"problems"}} of {{w|information explosion}} coupled with a {{w|Density|dense}} {{w|World_Wide_Web|web}} of {{w|hypertext}} {{w|Hyperlink|links}}. Through most of human history, written media has been both slow and linear. Hypertext allows a new type of information consumption, through small chunks of information linked together in a web of related concepts, and by being digital, each new chunk can be retrieved quickly and effortlessly. Wikipedia applies this principle very strongly, and because it covers so many topics, it is common for a reader to skim an article about a topic they need or want to know about, and end up following a series of links out of curiosity. Since each new page also has several links, the overall navigation pattern resembles a tree that branches out, "exploding" in size with each new level of link-clicking, thus resulting in many trivia-filled hours (over three in this case) of reading stuff unrelated to the original goal, and lots of open browser tabs holding a wide variety of articles, which are seemingly unrelated, but have common "ancestors." (The problem, for [[Randall]], of wasting time on Wikipedia was later referenced in the title text of [[1501: Mysteries]], and the more general problem of getting trapped following a never-ending chain of interesting links was covered in [[609: Tab Explosion]].) The large diversity in end links may also be a reference to {{w|Wikipedia:Wiki Game|the Wikipedia game}}. | This {{w|Comics|comic}} {{w|Illustration|illustrates}} the {{w|Problem|"problems"}} of {{w|information explosion}} coupled with a {{w|Density|dense}} {{w|World_Wide_Web|web}} of {{w|hypertext}} {{w|Hyperlink|links}}. Through most of human history, written media has been both slow and linear. Hypertext allows a new type of information consumption, through small chunks of information linked together in a web of related concepts, and by being digital, each new chunk can be retrieved quickly and effortlessly. Wikipedia applies this principle very strongly, and because it covers so many topics, it is common for a reader to skim an article about a topic they need or want to know about, and end up following a series of links out of curiosity. Since each new page also has several links, the overall navigation pattern resembles a tree that branches out, "exploding" in size with each new level of link-clicking, thus resulting in many trivia-filled hours (over three in this case) of reading stuff unrelated to the original goal, and lots of open browser tabs holding a wide variety of articles, which are seemingly unrelated, but have common "ancestors." (The problem, for [[Randall]], of wasting time on Wikipedia was later referenced in the title text of [[1501: Mysteries]], and the more general problem of getting trapped following a never-ending chain of interesting links was covered in [[609: Tab Explosion]].) The large diversity in end links may also be a reference to {{w|Wikipedia:Wiki Game|the Wikipedia game}}. | ||
Line 28: | Line 20: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|William Howard Taft}} | |{{w|William Howard Taft}} | ||
− | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w| | + | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w|World War II}} > {{w|Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)}} > {{w|Washington Heights, Manhattan}} > {{w|George Washington}} > {{w|William Howard Taft}} |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|24-hour analog dial}} | |{{w|24-hour analog dial}} | ||
− | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w| | + | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w|United States}} > {{w|Coordinated Universal Time}} > {{w|Clock}} > {{w|24-hour analog dial}} |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Lesbianism in erotica}} | |{{w|Lesbianism in erotica}} | ||
− | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w| | + | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w|Paramount Pictures}} > {{w|X rating}} > {{w|Lesbian erotica}} |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Fatal hilarity}} via {{w|Batman}} | |{{w|Fatal hilarity}} via {{w|Batman}} | ||
Line 40: | Line 32: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Taylor Hanson}} | |{{w|Taylor Hanson}} | ||
− | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w| | + | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w|Paramount Pictures}} > {{w|NickMusic}} > {{w|Total Request Live}} > {{w|Taylor Hanson}} |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Wet T-Shirt Contest}} via {{w|T-Shirt}} and {{w|Cotton}} | |{{w|Wet T-Shirt Contest}} via {{w|T-Shirt}} and {{w|Cotton}} | ||
|{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940)}} (this extra link now needed to go to the next page) > {{w|Structural collapse}} (this page now redirects to ''Structural integrity and failure'' and is also called this on the previous page) > {{w|Maharashtra}} > {{w|Cotton}} > {{w|T-Shirt}} > {{w|Wet T-Shirt Contest}} | |{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} > {{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940)}} (this extra link now needed to go to the next page) > {{w|Structural collapse}} (this page now redirects to ''Structural integrity and failure'' and is also called this on the previous page) > {{w|Maharashtra}} > {{w|Cotton}} > {{w|T-Shirt}} > {{w|Wet T-Shirt Contest}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− |