The Crisis of Collaborative Writing. The Case of Denialism on Wikipedia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1500Keywords:
Wikipedia, collaborative writing, denialism, crisis, co-creation, free knowledge, collaborative authorship, disinformationAbstract
Introduction: In this work we analyze the generation of knowledge through collaborative writing in the pages on denialism in Wikipedia. Methodology:The study carried out both quantitative (through the Xtools tool) and qualitative (through discourse analysis applied to the editors' comments) analysis. All the pages on denialism in Wikipedia in Spanish and without the denialist addition were analyzed (fourteen). Results:Data have been extracted and tables have been provided on the results of the research, focusing on the authorship of the entries, behavior of the editions, discussion pages and relevant milestones. Discussion:It is observed that there is partiality in the construction of some pages, as well as a lack of neutrality derived from the generation of knowledge, especially in cases in which an author monopolizes the construction of content. Conclusions:Collaborative writing allows different points of view to be integrated, but it presupposes high collaboration, which does not always occur. It is necessary to be aware of its limitations to trust, as has been observed with the case analyzed.Downloads
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