Wikipedia:Serendipity
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This page in a nutshell: One of the joys of editing Wikipedia is that you can start editing on one topic, and then, via blue links , end up editing an article on a completely unrelated topic that you know nothing about. |
Since Wikipedia articles are full of
Whoa!! Did you just enter an
No. Sorry to say, even though Wikipedia is highly awesome, it does not (yet, as of January 2024), offer parallel universe-rabbit hole or wormhole travel capabilities. If you have found yourself starting out on an article on your fave subject and you ending up writing about something completely unfamiliar to you, it happened due to the serendipity of clicking on one blue link after another.
This essay will explain, giving just one example, how an editor could make such an unexpected topic transition over an editing session, without realizing it.
Starting point: distortion pedals
Our editor is a
Randy Rhodes
Our editor is now reading about the life and career of metal guitarist
Beethoven
While reading the
French Revolution
While reading the
She clicked through blue links until she arrived at the article on
End point: Olympe de Gouges
Now our editor is reading the Olympe de Gouges article. Our editor had not heard of Olympe de Gouges until this editing session. After correcting some grammar errors and fixing some formatting snafus, our editor was intrigued to learn that de Gouges was an early feminist who demanded that French women be given the same rights as French men. In de Gouges' Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen (1791), she challenged the practice of patriarchal male authority and the notion of male–female inequality. Our editor then becomes interested in learning more about other women philosophers and feminist theorists, so she clicks on more blue links...
Serendipity
From a distortion pedal article to learning about feminist philosopher Olympe de Gouges, all in the space of a few hours. Now that is cool!
Editing Wikipedia articles is a great way to learn more about topics you also know about. As well, though, by clicking on blue links, Wikipedia is also a great way to explore completely new topics and subject areas.
So, yeah, maybe we can say that Wikipedia does offer wormholes to other places (at least intellectually...WP can't transport-beam you to Proxima Centauri...at least not yet!).