User:A09/Enwiki-centrism

(English) This is an essay. It expresses the opinions and ideas of some Wikimedians but may not have wide support. This is not policy on Meta, but it may be a policy or guideline on other Wikimedia projects. Feel free to update this page as needed, or use the discussion page to propose major changes.

Sometimes, it feels as though some people view the English Wikipedia (hereafter referred to as enwiki) as the center of the Wikimedia Community, treating it as the foundation and pinnacle of everything. This perception, however, is far from accurate, and this essay seeks to explain why. I will provide concrete, anonymized examples to illustrate this point. Importantly, this issue is not exclusive to enwiki; friends of mine have experienced similar challenges on other major wikis. Even Wikimedia Commons faces comparable problems, as noted on commons:User:Just Step Sideways. Nonetheless, I will focus on the enwiki, given its outsized influence and the significant challenges it poses for crosswiki editors. These problems may also affect the willingness of other editors to contribute to enwiki.

Background

I created my account in March 2020 but didn’t begin actively contributing until late that year. Since then, I have been consistently involved in combating crosswiki spam and abuse. While the Slovene Wikipedia is my home wiki, my contributions extend widely across Wikimedia projects, giving me a substantial edit history across various platforms. One of these is enwiki, where I have faced multiple unpleasant interactions, ranging from dismissive comments to outright hostility, both onwiki and offwiki. I am publishing this essay here on Meta because I am confident I am not alone in experiencing these challenges, which point to deeper systemic issues within the Wikimedia ecosystem.

What This Essay Does—and Doesn’t—Address

This essay does not challenge the existence or importance of "local" editors or crosswiki editors ("local" here meaning those who focus primarily on a single wiki, as opposed to crosswiki editors). Both roles are essential for smooth operation of Wikimedia projects. The issue lies instead within certain attitudes prevalent among some editors on the English Wikipedia—specifically, the belief that enwiki is the center of the Wikimedia Community and that anything beyond it can or should be disregarded. Another significant concern is the careless importing of enwiki content into other wikis without proper adaptation or consideration of local context. My critique targets these flawed ideas, not the individuals promoting them. The aim is to confront the principles, not to attack those who adhere to them, often without realizing the broader consequences.

Where Does the Problem Lie?

The problem starts with the flawed reasoning of some enwiki editors, including administrators. My own negative experiences began early in my wiki career, when I first encountered the troubling idea that enwiki user rights somehow hold more value than the same rights on other wikis. Some enwiki editors, particularly, seem to believe that their permissions are automatically more important simply because they are part of the English Wikipedia, ignoring the contributions and permissions of users on smaller or crosswiki projects. On one occasion, my valid criticism was dismissed purely because my home wiki wasn’t enwiki, even though my points were entirely reasonable. A paraphrased response I received offwiki was something like, "Oh, so you're not a regular enwiki editor? Then shut up and don’t tell us what to do." For some, the world beyond enwiki doesn’t exist, and anyone who challenges that is quickly silenced.

There’s also a persistent belief that enwiki is uniquely difficult to moderate—whether it's dealing with page deletions, blocking users, combating spam, or maintaining neutrality. No one denies that enwiki faces these challenges, and I'm not trying to minimize them. However, if you’re feeling defensive reading this, it’s worth remembering that smaller wikis also deal with long-term abusers (LTAs). In fact, in some cases, smaller wikis experience abuse rates that could even exceed those on enwiki.

Another major issue I want to point out is the practice of exporting enwiki content to smaller wikis through module updates, often without proper adaptation or translation. This undermines the diversity within the Wikimedia community and threatens languages with smaller speaker populations. When content—particularly templates and modules—is copied from enwiki without being properly localized, it doesn’t take into account the specific linguistic, cultural, and structural needs of other wikis. This kind of “content seeding” essentially strengthens enwiki's dominance within the Wikimedia ecosystem, pushing smaller projects and languages further to the margins. By favoring enwiki content over local contributions, we risk undermining the very principles of diversity and inclusivity that the Wikimedia movement was built on. This is particularly crucial for smaller wikis, where proper translation and cultural context are vital to keeping content accurate and relevant. The unchecked spread of enwiki content in its raw form does a disservice to these communities, reinforcing the dominance of one language and culture over many.