In Wikipedia’s 18 years of existence, it has become a fixture in our lives: It ascends to the top of Google’s search results and provides answers to the questions we ask Alexa and Siri.
For Wikipedia’s editing community, the website is even more. It is a kind of social network where users debate the minutiae of history and modern life, climb the editorial hierarchy and even meet friends and romantic partners.
It is also a place where editors can experience relentless harassment. In 2016, Pax Ahimsa Gethen, a trans male Wikipedian, was persistently hit with personal attacks over several months. Mx. Gethen, 49, who uses the pronouns “they” and “them,” said the anonymous harasser posted that they were “insufferable” and “unloved,” that they belonged in an internment camp and that they should kill themself.
Discussion Questions:
- What in the article did you find most interesting? Provide three key takeaways from the article.
- What is Wikimedia doing to help decrease/eliminate harassment on Wikipedia?
- Do you think web sites and social media platforms are doing enough to eliminate harassment?
Source: Julia Jacobs, The New York Times, “Wikipedia Isn’t Officially A Social Network. But The Harassment Can Get Ugly”, www.nytimes.com, April 8, 2019.
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