This document discusses Wikipedia and new media. It explores why Wikipedia is so popular, questions about its reliability, and how media and Wikipedia interact. It notes that media often copy content from Wikipedia without verification, while Wikipedia cites media sources. The document also discusses free and open content, explaining the four freedoms of free culture: use, study, share, and improve. It covers issues around copyrights, public domain works, and permissible combinations of free licenses.

1. New media / Wikipedia / Free ulture
The Wikipedian perspective!
Vassia ‘Spiritia’ Atanassova
Wikimedians of Bulgaria User Group
1 June 2015

2. Don’t believe
everything you
read on the
Internet just
because there’s
a picture with a
quote next to it.
– Abraham LincolnSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Abraham_Lincoln_November_1863.jpg

3. Wikipedia and New Media
• How comes it’s so, SO, SOOO popular?
• If it’s so popular, is it that reliable?
– The evergreen question 
• How do media and Wikipedia interact?
– Why is attribution is important for Wikipedia when
media reuse content?
– Why is it important for the media themselves?

4. Community interaction
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikipedia_motivator.jpg

5. (Some of) The problems in this
vicious circle
• disrespect of copyrights
• journalistic unprofessionalism
• lack of critical attitude
• multiplication and promotion
of mistakes, libels, …
• non-constructive criticism
towards Wikipedia and
volunteerism in general
Media usually copy-paste
content from Wikipedia
(without verifying against
other sources)
Wikipedia (usually correctly)
cites the media publications
which are used as sources
of information.
Wikipedia/Media interaction

6. User/Content interaction

7. The, hmm, FREE encyclopedia?
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Free_Beer.jpg | http://richardtullochwriter.com/2012/11/05/street-art-newtown-sydney/

8. Free software, free content
0. The freedom to use the work and enjoy the
benefits of using it
1. The freedom to study the work and to apply
knowledge acquired from it
2. The freedom to make and redistribute copies, in
whole or in part, of the information or expression
3. The freedom to make changes and
improvements, and to distribute derivative works
• http://freedomdefined.org/Definition

10. Source: (C) http://tumblr.mylesbraithwaite.com/
post/36087454035/if-you-have-an-apple-and-i-
have-an-apple-and-we

11. Source: NASA, Aug 2014
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Lowell_Aug_20_2014_2121Z.jpg
Source: NASA, May 1969
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Apollo_10_earthrise.jpg
Source: NASA, 2011 http://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stars_Gath
er_in_%27Downtown%27_Milky_Way.jpg
Public Domain by state officers

12. Източник: http://commons.wikimedia.org/
wiki/File:Macaca_nigra_self-portrait.jpg
Източник: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Barium_swallow_of_malignancy_oesophagus_01.jpg
Human vs. Non-human created content

13. Reproductions of Public Domain art
2D vs. 3D
Source https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Florence_-
_Michelangelos_%22David%22_%282929585347%29.jpg
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched.jpg
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Davide_di_Michelangelo2.jpg

14. Freedom of Panorama
Read more: http://euobserver.com/justice/126375
Source: Wikimedia UK's annual review for 2013–2014
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikimedia_AR_2014_download.pdf

15. Permissible combining of free licenses

16. Question
• Free licensing is a mechanism for...?
 Keeping copyrights
 Violating copyrights
 Inheriting copyrights
 Renouncing copyrights
 Acquiring copyrights
 Tracking the use of copyrighted content

17. Respect your parents!
They graduated without Google or Wikipedia
Source: (C) http://hitwallpaper.com/2013/07/heavy-metal-grandma-hd-wallpaper/

18. Thank you for the attention!
patience :)