Chapter X Our News, Their Events? A Comparison of Archived Current Events on English and Greek Wikipedias Jahna Otterbacher

Although Wikipedia has its roots in the United States, it has long become a global project. To date, there are Wikipedias in 285 languages, written and maintained by over 39 million registered users around the world. i In fact, over 77% of Wikipedia articles are written in languages other than English. ii Despite this diversity, Hara, Shachaf, and Hew (2010) note that most research to date focuses on the English edition. Given the popularity and influence of Wikipedia, it is important to understand its global nature. Callahan and Herring (2011, 1914) claim that growth trends position English Wikipedia as a “general repository of global knowledge.” In contrast, they describe the smaller Wikipedias as having a regional character, emphasizing local values. Like Hara, Shachaf, and Hew (2010), Callahan and Herring call for further cross-cultural research, and they provide specific motivations as explained below.