“The right information”: perceptions of information bias among Black Wikipedians
ISSN: 0022-0418
Article publication date: 3 September 2019
Issue publication date: 19 September 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine motivators that drive Black Wikipedia contribution. The authors explore motivations around content contribution, effects of gender on motivations and self-perceptions of Black Wikipedia labor.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 318 Black American Wikipedia contributors completed an online survey. The authors employed both quantitative and qualitative methods in the study including descriptive statistics, multivariate (MANOVA) and univariate (ANOVA) analysis of variance to examine gender differences in Wikipedia content contribution. In addition, open-ended responses were evaluated, through content analysis, to make inferences on their perceptions of Wikipedia labor.
Findings
This paper identifies racial identity and perceptions of information quality as strong motivators in content contribution among Black Wikipedians. Motivators are gender variant; men are more motivated than women with the lone exception being racial identity. Additionally, the study identifies Wikipedia as a contested space among Black contributors and is a site of resistance.
Originality/value
Black Wikipedians information activity is a relatively new and understudied phenomenon. This paper presents new insight and a deeper understanding of Black Wikipedians’ motivations for information sharing behaviors in the most popular encyclopedia on the internet.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors share co-first authorship. This study was supported by funding from Brenton Stewart’s Russell Long Professorship.
Citation
Ju, B. and Stewart, B. (2019), "“The right information”: perceptions of information bias among Black Wikipedians", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 75 No. 6, pp. 1486-1502. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-02-2019-0031
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited