Wikipedia lectures
It occurred to me today how much influence the free internet encyclopedia Wikipedia has gained. In a seminar for my Arts minor every student had to give a five to ten minute presentation on an artist or an art technique. I had chosen lithography and, in preparation for the presentation, looked for artists who had used this technique. Since I am interested in M. C. Escher’s work, I read the appropriate Wikipedia page. Now, one of the presentations focused exclusively on Escher. I could almost guess every sentence, that is how closely they resembled the Wikipedia entry. This was a partly hilarious, partly sobering experience – I did not prepare my presentation much differently.
I am very thankful for the possibilites which Wikipedia offers. On the other hand, one should never rely on a single source only, especially if it is not professionally edited. Of course, it is great that you can correct errors yourself immediately if you encounter them.