Wikipedia works off of the contributions of many different people, of different knowledge levels. Wikipedia makes a point of highlighting the principles they hold most dear, such as accuracy, neutrality, and verifiability while being able to provide information based on agreed knowledge and a number of differing sources. Entries and writings undergo a myriad of edits, most of them continuous since the first entries into the subjects. The specific page being covered is on the Battle of Peleliu during the Second World War. This page was chosen because the topic has a largely dedicated following, as shown by the Revision History, which dates back to 2001 and has remained constantly edited for the past twenty-three years. Looking at the revisions made over a period of time this extensively provides an interesting picture to the types of changes being made, and the process by which these changes are verified and greenlit for publication on the page. The page covering the Battle of Peleliu is a specifically strong example of the complex interactions between members of the community and information. By examining the debates surrounding information, the page provides an interesting example of communal information.
The Battle of Peleliu’s Wikipedia page experience’s active conversation, consistent edits to text, and reviews for accuracy and the background checking of information. Digging through the revision history reveals a number of disagreements and arguments, usually academically supported, addressing items of contention such as casualty numbers, historical interpretations of certain texts and statements, as well arguments over how relevant these statements and personal testimonies from veterans are. The page on the Battle of Peleliu covers the complexity of having a community based page dedicated to the addition of information to a transcript exploring a historical event. This page specifically highlights how dynamic collaborative editing is, and how as information changes and becomes more available the pages change dynamically with that information.
The dynamic changes to the Wikipedia page also highlights the intricate ways in which patterns impact reivisons. Throughout the past twenty-three years, whenever more information becomes available, or a claim is made about new information becoming available, members of the page discuss and verify the information first. One such example occurred in 2022, when the group began to discuss information that could not be verified about the Order of Battle and a completely different page being formed dedicated just to this. Older posts are similar to this, but increasingly mature in comparison. Further delving into the revision history shows the process by which information is added, modified and verified on the Wiki, with each edit representing a contribution to the collective understanding of various concepts.
With the amount of information being processed by Wikipedia, it is a wonder how the organization manages to maintain accuracy and fact check material. Wikipedia has an established editing model, which they discuss on their “Reliability of Wikipedia” page. The page states that anyone, with or without verification, can contribute to the page, and that these contributors are some of the most valuable contributors the organization encounters, providing a wealth of information as accurately as they can.Wikipedia itself states that the process of fact-checking is rigorous, with the job being given to Wikipedia editors. The fact-checking requires intense scrutiny and verification of the content published on the site in order to maintain reliability and accuracy. This effort is most definitely efficient, as companies such as Youtube and Meta utilize Wikipedia to maintain and ensure accuracy of information within their own media; which emphasizes how truly reliable the information must remain. As part of the company philosophy, Wikipedia places a large emphasis on seeking public trust to reinforce the commitment the organization made to providing accurate information for all of their users.
Topics that are most often discussed, instead of being debated or contested, are topics about adding to existing knowledge, such as the addition of maps, increased depth into already established topics, or pages dedicated solely to certain topics. Another thing that is often discussed is rewording of statements from the original article, either to improve how professional the article sounds, fix improper grammar, or to make the article more brief and easy to understand. One example of this is between the February 10, 2023 article and the modern revision was the removal of information that is too complex, and would force the reader to have to backtrack for more information. Line two-hundred sees a change from “On the second day,” to the exact date of a discussed occurrence, which was simply fixed with limited discussion.
Other discussions are extremely contentious, and lead to a much more convoluted and argumentative way of finding a solution. One more recent example on the subject page was the efforts the United States Army put into the battle. A user discussed on the talk page his disdain for the lack of effort being put in to explore the exploits of the Army, and what he believes is a focus much too heavy on the Marine Corps, and the efforts the Marines played on the island. Situations like this lead to arguments due to the amount of passion certain members have for the topic, especially in a topic such as The Battle of Peleliu and World War Two in general. With historical periods that were so critical to the modern world that involved so many millions of people, it is difficult to have some of this information not feel important and personal.
Items that are debated often become topics of contention, this is the case in Wikipedia just as much as it is in the real world. The Battle of Peleliu page reflects the complex world of interpreting historical events. Contributors personal connection to topics oftentimes fuel passionate debates, this compounded with a decreased interest in relational development with people online can lead to increased contention within the Wikipedia communities.
Wikipedia is a unique world of communal knowledge, which operates under a complex process of constant additions, editing, and polishing; sometimes for over twenty years. The Wikipedia page covering the Battle of Peleliu illustrates the extremely complex process by which these entries are generated, vetted, and constantly refined. In this world communication is constant, as seen through analyzing the “talk” page on the chosen article. These discussions and debates within the community show the importance of constructive discourse, leading to a polished and informative final product that provides sources that have certainly been peer reviewed. Wikipedia serves not only as store of communal knowledge, made easily accessible for the average person with access to the internet, but as a forum for opinions to be discussed, perspectives to be heard, and the fostering of a culture that values accurate information for the sake of creating accurate information.