ICYMI Wikipedia Is The Most Human Place On The Internet
Apr 11, 2026
Annie Rauwerda, creator of @depthsofwikipedia and active editor, digs into 25 years of Wikipedia and its volunteer culture. She explores how consensus governance works, the quirky niche editors who patrol typos, the debate over AI-generated content, and why the site still feels deeply human. Expect oddball finds and behind-the-scenes glimpses into how Wikipedia really runs.
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Retiree Engineer Turned Featured Article Editor
- Retired professionals sometimes become deep subject-matter editors, producing featured articles after peer review.
- Annie describes a retired engineer in London who writes biology and shepherds articles to featured status.
The Editor Who Hates Comprised Of
- Some volunteers focus on tiny editorial crusades, like removing a specific phrase across the site.
- Annie mentions a Microsoft employee who has removed "comprised of" roughly 100,000 times and wrote a long essay against it.
Depths Account Sparked Deeper Editing
- Annie's Instagram account Depths of Wikipedia led her to realize articles are written by everyday people.
- That realization pushed her to make more serious edits during COVID lockdown and start the account's posts.