Wikipedia at 25: Authority, Legitimacy, and the Future of Knowledge [January 2026]

Twenty-five years ago, Wikipedia launched with the ambitious idea that knowledge could be created collaboratively and shared freely with the world. Just a quarter century later, the online encyclopedia has become a foundational part of the global information landscape, drawing billions of page views each month and impacting how people learn and make real-world decisions. But what have we learned about its role in our knowledge ecosystem — and what comes next?

Wiki Education kicked off the new year of our Speaker Series with this special webinar celebrating Wikipedia’s 25th birthday!

Panelists explored Wikipedia’s growth, evolution, and relationship to traditional knowledge institutions like universities, libraries, archives, and museums. Together they considered questions of authority and legitimacy: How has Wikipedia challenged and complemented historic models of knowledge production? What responsibilities come with its incredible reach and power to shape public opinion? And how might the next 25 years reshape who creates knowledge, how it is validated, and who it serves?

Panelists:
Phoebe Ayers, Librarian, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Carwil Bjork-James, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Vanderbilt University
Ryan McGrady, Senior Research Fellow, Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Steven Mintz, Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin
LiAnna Davis, moderator, Chief Programs Officer and Deputy Director at Wiki Education

Wiki Education is a 501(c)(3) that serves as a bridge between Wikipedia and academia, engaging subject experts and students to improve Wikipedia.

Learn more about Wiki Education's free support for postsecondary instructors in the U.S. and Canada and get started with your own Wikipedia assignment: https://wikiedu.org/teach

Bring your expertise to Wikipedia through a Wiki Scholars & Scientists editing course: https://wikiedu.org/learn