W11 Discuss Reagle's chapter 5 - Boeun Kim

1. Summary

 

To be more than just encyclopedia, Wikipedia have to be an adjustment institution. It means, Wikipedia’s is endless process to consensus. As our world is constructed, Wikipedia is also have many problems which people have argued. In many issues such as religion, history, war, and so on, two different positions fight endless as long as they don’t have any adjustment device (or mediator). Chapter 5 admits a difficulty of consensus decision making in Wikipedia(or any place.) because issues include political, cultural, and racial problems. So, Wikipedia needs a process to public ‘consensus.’ In this point, progressed technology (like internet) is important to approach this consensus. Technology can help we overcome limitation of time, place, and so on. Of course, consensus is not a spilt-second decision making so Wikipedia has some regulations to reach an agreement. However, the most important thing is that Wikipedia can become a place where we can check some insight on human’s faith through these process to consensus.

 

2. Interesting point

 

As our real world, Wikipedia has problems on some religious point, culture, politics. I am interested in process to reach consensus because I didn’t know there were disputes on polling and voting just like real world. But, as we saw reading material, it also draws some problematic issues. So I wonder if we can find ‘real’ consensus without forcing other to mouth down.

3. Discussion
 If we trust human being can cooperate to specific purpose, is it possible the outcome satisfy us? As we saw, reading material said it is possible because Wikipedia could become a place where we can check we reach real consensus. But I worried that Wikipedia's participants are not the whole world people, so some people may be alienated on this process.