Wikipedia Now Has 4 Million Articles

Sites include Wikipedia.com . Published on August 2nd, 2012. Written by Anthony West.

Jimmy Wales took a break from soliciting donations to announce that Wikipedia has reached the important milestone of publishing its 4 millionth article. The announcement was largely well received by people who value the site and its contribution to democratized knowledge.

Since inception Wikipedia has come under fierce criticism from people in academia; many feel that Wikipedia cannot be relied upon as a source of authentic knowledge. This argument has at times found support among a wider audience, especially at those times when articles are found to be fake on the site. By and large though, the millions of articles on Wikipedia do stand up to academic scrutiny.

Wales’ announcement of the milestone could have used some more punch though. He basically said: “I am informed that English Wikipedia has passed the 4 million article mark. Awaiting final confirmation on which is the 4 millionth!”

Dryness aside though, Wikipedia will continue to be a force. The site was recently blamed for killing off the Encyclopaedia Britannica and no doubt thousands of libraries around the world are now suffering because of it. What the next incarnation of Wikipedia will look like is anyone’s guess. The platform is still largely a text-based database of articles and so mobile integration has not posed any problems. Apps developers have all taken their turn at creating the perfect mobile experience and millions of mobile phone users around the world can grab their daily fix of information and knowledge on the go.