Submissions/Wikipedia eco-system governance: Power embedded in the governance infrastructure

This is an open submission for Wikimania 2010.

Title of the submission: Wikipedia eco-system: Power embedded in the governance infrastructure

Type of submission (workshop, tutorial, panel, presentation): Presentation

Author of the submission: Mayo Fuster Morell

E-mail address or username (if username, please confirm email address in Special:Preferences)

mayo.fuster (at) eui.eu (w:User:Lilaroja)

Country of origin: Italy and Spanish State

Affiliation, if any (organization, company etc.): Social and Political Science Department - European University Institute ([1]); International Forum on Access to Culture and Knowledge in the Digital Era, Organization and Action ([2]); Networked Politics collaborative research ([3]).

Mayo Fuster Morell is finishing a doctoral research on “The Governance of platforms of participation for the building of digital commons” at the European University Institute directed by Prof. Donatella della Porta and externally supervised by Prof. Bruce Bimber (University of California Santa Clara). She explores the democratic logic of the Internet in knowledge-making processes and the relationship between governance model and community growth. She combined a large-N stadistical analysis and cases studies comparison (World Social Forum, Flickr, Wikihow and Wikipedia) (http://www.onlinecreation.info). In 2008 she was visiting researcher at the School of Information – University of California Berkeley and provided teaching assistance at the Communication Department – Stanford University. She co-wrote the books “Rethinking political organisation in an age of movements and networks” (XL Editorial: Rome 2007). She is promotor of the International forum on free culture and access to knowledge (www.fcforum.net) and Networked Politics Collaborative research (http://www.networked-politics.info).

Personal homepage or blog: [4]

Abstract (please use no less than 300 words to describe your proposal)

Recently the number of research projects and articles dedicated to Wikipedia’s governance has increased. These analyses focus mainly on the community self-governing dynamics. In this regard, Wikipedia governance has been analysed in terms of policy-making and selection of the governing roles and bodies. Some analysis has also been developed on the nature of authority and the sources to gain authority in the communities. In the presentation, on the one hand, a review of the main findings will be presented. On the other hand, I will argue that the analysis of Wikipedia governance also require to consider, not only the community dynamics over the infrastructure, but also the institutional frame and the infrastructure governance. More specifically, to consider the role of the Wikimedia Foundation and its internationalization though a network of Chapters as infrastructure providers. In this regard, I will present the research results on an analysis of power relationships embedded in the infrastructure governance. The research is based on a review of main theories of power and 35 interviews to wikipedians and virtual ethnography.

Track (People and Community/Knowledge and Collaboration/Infrastructure): People and Community

Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted? Yes.

Slides or further information (optional): I love Wikipedia.

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