File:Grown_Up_Wikipetan_Putting_Piece_Together.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
In the Vinony graph
It sits within the topics Humorous Wikipedia essays and Wikipediholism.
Vinony links it to 41 Wikipedia language editions.
Key facts
- Other names
- Wikiaddiction
- Specialty
- Psychiatry
- Causes
- Wikipedia.org
- Risk factors
- Having registered a Wikipedia account, preexisting computer addiction , too much free time, occupation (computer programmer, academic, tertiary education student), gender bias on Wikipedia
- Treatment
- Incurable, though possible to alleviate partially with the Wikipatch . Putting your laptop in another room.
- Medication
- Turning off wifi . Going on holiday.
- Frequency
- Unknown; often found in WikiChildren .
- Deaths
- Unknown, none confirmed. Due to the lack of information about Wikipediholics, expert estimates vary wildly. Probably a couple dozen.
via Wikipedia infobox
~19 min read
Encyclopedic overview
A Wikipediholic, wikiholic, Wikipediaholic, Wikipath, wikiaddict, or wikimaniac (in binomial classification, Homo wikiaddictus or Homo wikidependus), (considered by some to be a subspecies of Homo sapiens), is someone who suffers from Wikipediholism, or obsession (addiction in some cases) with Wikipedia or other wikis. One of the most common characteristics of the condition is the victim reading or editing Wikipedia articles with much more frequency than the average person. Another common characteristic is having a browser window constantly open to the Recent Changes section of Wikipedia and/or other wikis (or in the condition's slightly milder form, one's Watchlist), and pressing the "Reload" or "Refresh" button with a high frequency (sometimes leading to carpal tunnel syndrome) (or using the live updates feature to avoid having to refresh). Others have a bottle of Wikipedihol tablets by their desktop. Others click the "random page" button instead. Still others endlessly edit pages, and/or endlessly track and monitor the edits of users with whom they have become obsessed. This disorder can lead to a serious decrease in productivity in all other areas of the victim's life, like any other addiction. That is why they're called Wikipedia abusers, after all. Do not taunt their lack of significant others; it is but a mere illusion.
Official Wikipediholism Test: If you think you are a Wikipediholic, please take this test for proper diagnosis. Note: This is quite long; set aside at least 15 minutes to take this test. Or just procrastinate taking it and then forget to take it (as Wikipediholics all do).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Wikipedia:Wikipediholic” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.