This Is TikTok Web App for Reading Wikipedia
Every week there is a moment dedicated to putting my face in front of my phone screen: my kids’ karate training. While they are learning punches and kicks, I mindlessly scroll through clickbait, videos, games, and social media to pass the time. Although it gives me something to do, it doesn’t make me feel good .
Then I heard about WikiTok , which, as the name suggests, is a web interface that combines TikTok and Wikipedia. Unlike traditional video sharing platforms, WikiTok offers users a refreshing respite from the ruthless algorithms that dominate our digital world. The web app randomly displays an article with an eye-catching image filling the display. If you’re interested in something, you can click “Read More” and the full Wikipedia article will appear in another window. If you don’t like it, you scroll up and another article randomly appears.
I wanted to test out WikiTok, so when my karate kids started doing their thing, I went to the site and started scrolling, where I came across a truly random feed filled with articles about philanthropist Dorothy Lichtenstein , the second wife of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, as well as a recap of the 2019 San Diego Padres season . I couldn’t stop scrolling, not because WikiTok gave me what I wanted, but because its content was intriguing.
Over the next hour, I read about Samsung’s Continuum Android phone , learned that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce would also receive Super Bowl rings , and saw an architectural marvel in Denmark reminiscent of the fjords that dot the country’s landscape.
The lack of rhyme and meaning in WikiTok channels is intentional, and developer Issac Gemal told Ars Technica that he has no plans to change that anytime soon: “I had to stand on my own two feet and say something like, in our daily lives, we are already governed by ruthless, opaque algorithms; Why can’t we have at least one small corner of the world without them?”
Adapting to life without algorithms
Of course, the lack of content tailored to your interests takes some getting used to. What bothered me was that with every click of the Read More button, WikiTok was learning something about me. At some point during my scrolling session, I was convinced that there was a reason why I came across more than one article about baseball teams and small towns in Arizona , the state I call home.
When I returned for another scrolling session the next day, I realized that my fears were unfounded. I was fed articles about Las Vegas office complexes , villages in India and sports motorcycles . Not once have I come across an article about what I most often go to the Internet for: news about cinema and music.
Cemal’s creation appears to be purely web-based, but several apps are already available that do a poor job of simulating the feeling of being on WikiTok. One of them even asks for your email address before allowing scrolling, which seems suspicious. Stick to your web browser version and enjoy a well-deserved break from algorithms.