[WikiEN-l] Eschatology and Wikipedia

[wiki]

This is a dangerous thread.

It is certainly the case that Wikipedia has exceeded all expectations (not
least of those who set it up) and confounded the naysayers, Jeremiahs, and
doom merchants. No doubt there's some justification in digging up falsified
eschatological visions and gloating with hindsight at their folly. However,
there's a problem here - and the problem is the great monstrous beast of
complacency. 

For if we say, "we endured even all this - and so with righteousness we will
survive the ages, even unto the end", then we are in danger of creating a
myth of invulnerability, based on the preservation of the wiki-saints, which
can only serve to prevent us heeding genuine prophets of future dangers.
Beware the true apocalypse. "Let Him That Thinketh He Standeth Take Heed
Lest He Fall"

It would be far more profitable (or prophet-able) to seek to divine the
undoubted demons ahead, that we might remain strong unto the end. 

If I dare to be a seer, I worry about software that looks increasingly 2004
in a Facebook world. 

And I'd be interested to wonder what other nightmares of the future keep the
Wiki-saints in fear and trembling.



-----Original Message-----
From: wikien-l-bounces at lists.wikimedia.org
[mailto:wikien-l-bounces at lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of MuZemike
Sent: 21 December 2010 20:05
To: English Wikipedia
Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Eschatology and Wikipedia

I thought I read somewhere that Rupert Murdoch seeks to shut down 
Wikipedia because of its "free information" threat to his and other 
similar media empires.

-MuZemike

On 12/21/2010 1:58 PM, Tony Sidaway wrote:
> Since Wikipedia grew and became more ambitious in its scope, there
> have been predictions of its downfall, many of them giving an estimate
> for the timescale of its demise.  If you hunt around you may find a
> prediction by me that Wikipedia was unlikely to survive much beyond
> 2010 because I thought it would decline in populatrity. Since then
> Wikipedia has cemented itself into the fabric of modern culture and
> become particularly useful in academia, where its strengths and
> limitations are now well understood.
>
> Reading the references Joseph Reagle's book I encountered this:
>
> http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2006/12/wikipedia_will_1.htm
>
> Wikipedia, it appears, was destined to die within four years--by
> December 5, 2010, because it would be involved in an unwinnable war
> with marketers,
>
> Since it's Christmas, the new year is coming, and we'll soon be
> bouncing out of that into a celebration of Wikipedia's first decade,
> perhaps now it the time to look back at the predictions of Wikipedia's
> demise.
>
> What are your favorite predictions of Wikideath?
>
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