No, this isn’t a case of different people having different opinions about different ways to obtain information during different times. More often than not, I find that the SAME people who act like Wikipedia is the most unreliable thing on Earth unironically trust the FIRST Google Search result they see, as well as everything they’ve ever seen in ChatGPT.
Need I remind you that Google is LITERALLY designed to cater to your biases? And it’s gotten WORSE because the first result you see is NOW AI-Generated. Also, Google is not a source! And AI Chatbots cite THEMSELVES as sources!
Wikipedia on the other hand is curated by REAL VOLUNTEER HUMANS who strive to be accurate as possible. I’m aware that Wikipedia is no stranger to agendas or vandalism, but these editors are quick and dedicated to be as accurate as possible. So much so that whenever a building is on fire, they LITERALLY label it as “Status: Burning”. Not burned… BURNING! Meanwhile, Google tells you to put glue on your pizza…
And yes, I know that Wikipedia is not a source. Like Google, Wikipedia is a GATEWAY to sources, and not a source in and of itself. But at the very least, Wikipedia DOESN’T try to give you what you will like, because you’ll get what is (most likely) the truth instead, backed up by several CREDIBLE sources that are constantly fact-checked by volunteer humans.
So why do people hate Wikipedia so much? And why do these SAME PEOPLE cite Google and ChatGPT as a source?
Nobody here ever said it can be used as a source
I was responding to someone complaining about teachers telling students not to use Wikipedia. Literally the only reason teachers say that is so students don’t use it as a primary source when doing assignments
That was me. Teachers tell students “it can’t be trusted because literally anyone can edit it.” Nothing to do with sources. Tech illiterate people or people manipulated by right wing media believe that Wikipedia has bad information
Teachers are telling you that in the context of writing an academic paper, and they’re totally correct
No, you’re not listening. I am a teacher. Peers in my field tell students not to trust the information in Wikipedia articles because they are inaccurate since anyone can edit them. They are teaching a mistrust of Wikipedia solely because anyone can edit them. This has NOTHING, again, NOTHING to do with sourcing an academic paper.