Wikimania 2024

Exploring Americanization in different regions of the world using Wikipedia and Wikidata
08-07, 10:30–10:55 (Poland), Dilijan (3) (interpretation)
Language: English

This study investigates the extent of Americanization in different geographical regions by analyzing Wikidata items and Wikipedia articles across various languages. It reveals differences in the interest in American topics, depending on the development of countries. This research offers the first global, quantitative evidence of Americanization, challenging previous assumptions. Additionally, it highlights Wikipedia's potential in quantifying social science concepts traditionally deemed unmeasurable and contributes to discussions on the platform's biases. Moreover, as an important part of the research, American sources of information in Wikipedia articles were identified and analyzed.


Wikipedia, as a leading source of global information, reflects a broad spectrum of knowledge contributed by a diverse, international community of users. The inherent user-generated nature of this online encyclopedia allows for a representation of a vast array of subjects, offering insights into various cultural, historical, and scientific topics. Despite its extensive coverage, the creation and editing process of Wikipedia articles occur independently within each language version, leading to disparities in the content's depth and breadth across different languages. These variances provide a unique lens through which the phenomenon of Americanization—a term referring to the global influence and spread of American culture and values—can be analyzed.
To quantify the concept of Americanization on a global scale, this study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of the representation of American topics across 58 language versions of Wikipedia. By meticulously examining over 90 million Wikidata items and over 40 million Wikipedia articles, this research sheds light on the dominance, or lack thereof, of Americanization in various languages, regions, and cultural contexts. The findings reveal that interest in American subjects is not universally prevalent. The study results reveal differences in the interest in American topics, depending on the development of countries.
As an important part of the research, American sources of information in Wikipedia articles were identified and analyzed. Analysis of over 300 million references of encyclopedic content allows us to compare the importance of information sources across various language versions.
This investigation marks the first global, quantitative confirmation of the Americanization phenomenon, substantiating hypotheses and assumptions that have been long-discussed within the literature on cultural influence and globalization. By leveraging the vast datasets of Wikipedia and Wikidata, the study demonstrates the feasibility of quantifying complex social science concepts that were previously considered beyond the scope of empirical measurement. This approach not only validates the significance of Americanization as a subject of academic inquiry but also illuminates the methodological potential of using online platforms as tools for social science research.
Furthermore, the findings of this study contribute to ongoing debates about the biases inherent in Wikipedia. By highlighting the uneven distribution of content related to American topics across different language editions, the research calls attention to the broader implications of such disparities for global knowledge representation. It underscores the necessity for a more equitable and inclusive approach to content creation and editing on Wikipedia, ensuring that the encyclopedia remains a balanced and comprehensive source of information for users worldwide.
In conclusion, this research offers a groundbreaking perspective on the quantification of Americanization through the lens of Wikipedia, providing valuable insights into the dynamics of cultural influence and the utility of digital platforms in social science research. It also prompts further investigation into the biases of Wikipedia, advocating for strategies to mitigate content discrepancies and foster a more inclusive global knowledge repository.

Session recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/b0W8f4nhdh8?feature=shared&t=3664


How does your session relate to the event themes: Collaboration of the Open?*

The study's approach to quantifying the Americanization phenomenon through Wikipedia and Wikidata demonstrates an innovative use of open data to explore complex social science concepts. This aligns with the theme by showcasing how open-source tools and platforms can facilitate research into global cultural trends and influences, contributing to the larger open movement's goal of increasing access to knowledge.

By revealing disparities in the depth and breadth of content related to American topics across different language editions of Wikipedia, the study contributes to ongoing discussions about biases inherent in the platform. This is crucial for the open movement, as it calls attention to the need for a more equitable and inclusive approach to content creation and editing. Addressing these biases ensures that Wikipedia remains a balanced and comprehensive source of information for all users, furthering the open movement's mission to bring free knowledge to the world.

The research emphasizes the importance of equitable content representation on Wikipedia, advocating for strategies to mitigate content discrepancies and promote inclusivity. This resonates with the theme by advocating for a collaborative effort to ensure that Wikipedia, as a pillar of the open movement, accurately reflects the diversity of human knowledge and experience. It suggests that the open movement can lead the way in creating more inclusive digital spaces where everyone has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from free knowledge.

What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?*

Everyone can participate in this session

How do you plan to deliver this session?*

Onsite in Katowice

What other themes or topics does your session fit into? Please choose from the list of tags below.

Collaboration

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Piotr Konieczny is an Associate Professor at the Department of Media & Social informatics, Hanyang University. He has received his PhD degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He is interested in the sociology of the Internet and social movements, in particular in topics such as wikis – their impact on individuals and organizations; decision making processes and organizational structure of Wikipedia; patterns of behavior among Wikipedia contributors; relation between wikis and social movements; free culture movement; and teaching with new media.

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Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Systems at Poznań University of Economics and Business. Research areas: information quality in open knowledge bases (such as Wikipedia, DBpedia, Wikidata), fake news detection, natural language processing, machine learning. Author of over 50 publications in English, Polish and Russian. More information: https://kie.ue.poznan.pl/en/wlodzimierz-lewoniewski/

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