Wikipedia has revolutionized the way we get facts today.  The online encyclopaedia has changed the way information is found on the Internet. Wikipedia differs from all other websites in that the public is able to edit it, it is then re-edited by a moderator and come out as a completely “unbiased” information source. Wikipedia’s unconventional way of publishing information has created a universal recognition of the website as a way of finding information.

Wikipedia’s tolerance for anybody to edit the page is not a win-win situation for Wikipedia. Most people I know my age will not question the accuracy of Wikipedia however in the academic world Wikipedia is a laughable source. This double-edged sword creates an interesting phenomenon considering Wikipedia cannot be used as an academic source and yet it’s popularity is unprecedented. Search for anything on the Internet especially on Google and one of the first result will be Wikipedia peer-edited source information. Our own Professor Taylor Owen stated “Do not use Wikipedia as a source.” This inadvertent effect has created a problematic issue for students being that many gain valuable information from this precious website.

Wikipedia also altered the way people get news being that it has such an expansive pool of information many go to Wikipedia for more in depth news. Since many people edit it to the point where the information is pure fact, and unbiased the public pool of information is shared for the benefit of anybody with Internet. Wikipedia also encourages mistakes, a value that is unique to any other aggregator of information. Even though mistakes are made a dedicated group of moderators takes out any biased words or language to ensure that the information presented is solely facts.

In my own experience Wikipedia has helped me finish countless amounts of homework and helped me understand how to complete assignments in my Exercise Science and Christian Vocations classes alike. Although countless teachers have informed me never to use Wikipedia it is still a starting point for gaining the knowledge necessary for any given project or research paper.