User:Marisalobo96/Report

The article I chose to edit for Wikipedia was the 2018 Netflix show You (TV Series). The article had some work done on it, but was missing some key information, like the synopsis and different themes throughout the show. I had a lot fun writing the summary for the show and it felt a little surreal when writing it out. I remember reading show synopses on Wikipedia all the time when I was growing up, so to be writing one of mine own felt rewarding. Even though I am just editing a page about a somewhat trivial television show, it's gratifying to know that someone out there will actually search for this page and read the information that I have posted on this site. Finding sources to write about the themes of the show was rather easy because the show became a hit with the public soon after it aired. There were a lot of publications that discussed and debated the themes. There were some sources about the marketing of the show as well that were helpful to site. Writing the synopsis was a little more tricky because there are a few established rules to writing a show summary; Wikipedia wants a cursory review of the show and my first few attempts at writing the synopsis were too wordy and detailed. I kept having to consolidate and cut things out, and the version I published ended up being taken down by a user because it still was too detailed. I still have a lot to learn before becoming apart of the community and still a lot to learn in navigating suggestions from the other contributors on the site. This exercise has taught me that the Wikipedia format isn't as daunting as I had thought; editing in the visual format is intuitive and accessible for the average internet user. And writing the synopsis for You (TV Series) has taught me a lot in the way of being concise when writing summaries and realizing what is important and what isn't when describing a show.

After editing my first article on Wikipedia, I have gained a deeper appreciation for those who dedicate their free time to make knowledge accessible to those with internet capabilities. I don’t believe that my Wikipedia journey would have been so smooth without the immense help of the educational modules that were given with the course. If I didn't have access to the step-by-step guide to begin editing that was provided for me as a student at the University of Washington, it would have been a lot harder to finish all of my edits and it was the most useful resource when starting my edits on the You (TV Series). Getting a crash course in the rules and norms of the community was essential to starting this journey. The modules should replace the Wikipedia Adventure for newcomers, I found it much more helpful, especially since I am most receptive to clear step-by-step instructions, rather than a simulation-type learning style. A more active welcoming committee for new editors in general would be very helpful and might help the retention rate as well. As it is now, you are taught briefly the rules and regulations to editing on this site; but, as we soon learn through the real editing process, there are a lot more detailed rules that pop up, mostly by being shot down by other editors. It would benefit the retention of newcomers by having certain barriers to contribution. One theory to keep newcomers coming back to online communities, while also keeping with the norms and regulation of a certain community, is to have different levels to who can contribute what to the site. If there were separations of editing tasks based on experience with the norms of the site, those who are learning will feel more comfortable exploring in these new spaces.

The fact that I had access to these resources because I am a student shows the gate-keeping that is happening to becoming a successful Wikipedia editor. The editing rules on Wikipedia are established and aggressive in a way that allows for clear and concise expectations, but often might deter newcomers who are simply trying to add knowledge to the site that is lacking. For example, Wikipedia has a ‘notability’ rule to make sure that all information added to the site is verifiable by at least three different third-party sources. Notability is a useful and necessary rule for Wikipedia, it makes sure that editors are held accountable for the information that they put on the site. But, because of the severe system bias problem that Wikipedia has, the knowledge posted on the site inherently becomes exclusive and what is considered notable is behind a very specific gatekeeper. It is a well known problem of Wikipedia is the editor demographics. A 2011 survey shows that 90% of the Wikipedia contributors are male. And the average male user is " (1) male, (2) technically inclined, (3) formally educated, (4) an English speaker (native or non-native), (5) aged 15–49, (6) from a majority-Christian country...likely employed as a white-collar worker" It would be interesting to see if Wikipedia is interested in fixing this bias because it's a problem much bigger than this platform; a problem, in part, that is rooted in educational disparities and a lack of accessible resources in certain communities. One solution to this problem is if the WikiMedia Foundation somehow created a program aimed at teaching Wiki editing skills to underrepresented communities, so the knowledge added to this site can live up to the Wikipedia tagline, "the sum of all human knowledge." These suggestions are coming from a very new user, but Wikipedia could benefit from these changes because they are aimed to get more contributors on the site that represent more of the world that we live in, rather than accumulating knowledge that a select few deem important.