Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Wikipedia has transformed the way of understanding and producing knowledge. It has become one of the most influential institutions of global communication. Available in 293 languages, it is currently the fifth most popular website worldwide (Alexa ranking). However, little is known about how historical knowledge is structured in this medium. For this reason, we focus on the spatial patterns of the historical discourse on Wikipedia. The study is based on the biographies of 11,367 salient historical figures that are translated into at least twenty-five languages. Our database, based on the Pantheon dataset and new supplements added for this project, includes their place of birth, their relocations between cities, and their relationships to other notable historical figures. First, we derive an indicator that quantifies the geographical influence of cities on the representation of universal history. In a second step, we map this indicator throughout the centuries, reconstructing the patterns of influence and associations between cities. Finally, we review which current regional statistics predict a cities influence on Wikipedia’s historical discourse. For instance we evaluate the impact of macro social regional indicators such as population size, per capita GDP, and internet access.