Wikipedia was first introduced in 2001. A free online encyclopedia where anyone can use and edit in over three hundred languages. The community spurred from Wikipedia edits has generated chat pages, forums, and a variety of projects such as Simple English, Media Wiki, and Wikinews. On the Welcome page to Wikipedia, they feature an article, provide users with a fun fact, and have an In the News section.

The wikipedia logo, has a gray globe with puzzle pieces and then a searchbar below it. Decorative image.

In the News informs users about current events such as the arraignment of Donald Trump or the French reform strikes. The use of this main page can serve as a brief hub for Wikipedia’s patrons but has rapidly decreased in use since 2016. The oscillation between main page views per day has even flatlined, specifically after the COVID-19 pandemic. A few spikes within the past three years are still prominent but none have neared the 2016 Yerevan Hostage Crisis in late July of that year. Are these events affecting how we consume news media?

In 2015 Wikipedia Main Page had nearly 600 million views per month, with a brief increase into 2017. Dropping off in early 2020, page views were already decreasing about one million per month. February was an exception with a rare increase in page views, the only one until October, nearing the presidential election. COVID-19 and its mismanagement by the United States government introduced a new fear into Americans: lost hope. More American’s are ‘doom scrolling’ and seeking reprieve online during the lockdown yet Wikipedia Main Page usage is decreasing. Referred to by Ed Yong as the ‘Pandemic Death Spiral’ perpetuation of horror, magical solutions, and personal blame alienated Americans. COVID-19 caused everyone to think, when will it end? This may have negatively impacted active news intake.

A line graph demonstrating the page views and mentions of COVID-19 and the word 'outbreak'. The peak of main page views in 2017, then with a sharp decrease staying consistent between about July of 2017 - late 2019. It decreased once more remaining consistent into 2023. Mentions of outbreak spiked once in 2016 around 60, and then remaining at 0 until March of 2020, mentions decreased at the start of 2021, and then once more again until the middle of 2022. Finally, for COVID-19 mentions remained less than outbreak by about 50 mentions, with a peak in March, and then consistent until late 2022.

Tracking the word count of the “In The News” section on the main page has generated a few themes in increases compared to page views. The first main spike in page views was in direct relation to the Yerevan Hostage Crisis. Wikipedia users actively sought out information during this time, which was one of the most violent mentions in all the months tracked. It had 67 mentions of “kill”, and 12 mentions of “protest”, there was a spike of words related to unrest as well. This spike in page views suggests during international unrest English Wikipedia users may seek out further information on international topics. Interestingly, there was also the highest mentions of peace in July 2016, topping nearly 20 mentions in the following month.

Looking at ‘protest’ more in detail, the usage of the word and related terms has increased, especially in mid 2019. The mention of ‘protest’ in these months surpassed its usage during the Yerevan Hostage Crisis. This trend continued into 2020, seeing a spike in mentions in response to the murder of George Floyd. The following months experienced a sharp decline in page views, slowed by this rise. Spikes in page views continue to mirror spikes in protest or unrest mentions, however in the later months of 2022 into 2023 this trend begins to lull. Protest pages on Wikipedia feature tables detailing the perpetrators, involved units, causes, and fatalities. This quick burst of information is also less graphic than other forms of media which may feature live videos of the incident. Additionally, the updates made to Wikipedia pages are often immediate within the community, which could provide a range of information not featured in other forms of media.

A line graph demonstrating the page views and mentions of protest and unrest. The peak of main page views in 2017, then with a sharp decrease staying consistent between about July of 2017 - late 2019. It decreased once more remaining consistent into 2023. Mentions of protest peaked in late 2019, and then twice more in 2020 shortly lower, with a high of 60 counts. The word unrest peaked about every other month with a peak in 2016, and then again coinciding with the late spike in 2021. Mentions for unrest fluctuate, but remained on a consistent trend with protests in mid 2020 to 2023.

The use of any word form of “kill” has also decreased on the In The News section. Prior to 2020 there were over 10 months where mentions were over 50 per month. In the past two years? Only 4. This suggests Wikipedia may be moving away from graphic descriptions of brutalization. Could this be a result of the significant decrease in page views over the past four years?

Despite decreased mention of words associated with violence, the keyword “peace” has also decreased over time as well. Yearly from 2015–2018 there were isolated mention spikes, around 10 per month. In 2020 to now there have been a few spikes, but none exceeding 10. With increasing tension between the Russo-Ukraine War they have experienced the highest mentions per month in early 2023. There were over 50 mentions of Russia this past March. Tensions continue to boil over into the news media as American’s are faced with live notifications about missile strikes and ammunition shortages.

These trends suggest a decrease in free media usage because of national fear and insecurity from world events. As peace mentions decrease in the news will this continue or break the trend of mirrored page views and unrest? Has information become so accessable we no longer need to seek it out due to changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic?