Growing up, I was always told to stay away from Wikipedia. It was unreliable, fictional, and anyone could add their own personal experiences, true or false. It wasn’t until my Freshman year of college in College Composition II that I was told I needed to use it. However, we were not allowed to use it as a source. Instead, we could only use Wikipedia to find connections between different words and phrases. For example, we would take a person or place, like Brazil, and somehow try and relate it to another word, like a popsicle. We would do this just by using the small links within the bigger articles.
I think when Wikipedia is used properly, it can be an excellent source. Not just for finding connections between things we typically wouldn’t think of, but for finding credible information. Because I was taught to not use Wikipedia, I have never taken the time to truly explore the different sources the encyclopedia has. But, I know that it’s still a great place to look at when trying to learn new information.
There is a downside to Wikipedia, however. Being able to add different information can be tricky because the information being added may not be true. We saw the example of a Wikipedia user adding harmful information about the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. Though that situation was pretty extreme, I think it shows how dangerous editing can become. Overall, I would still view Wikipedia as a pretty credible source, when fact-checked.
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