Volunteer contributions to Wikipedia increased during COVID-19 mobility restrictions

TL;DR

During COVID-19 mobility restrictions, Wikipedia volunteers significantly increased their contributions and new member participation, demonstrating resilience and adaptability of online communities under global stress.

Contribution

This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of how COVID-19 impacted volunteer editing activity across multiple Wikipedia language editions.

Findings

Contributions to English Wikipedia increased by over 20%.

Volunteer activity and newcomer participation grew during the pandemic.

The global volunteer community responded robustly to COVID-19 challenges.

Abstract

Wikipedia, the largest encyclopedia ever created, is a global initiative driven by volunteer contributions. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and mobility restrictions ensued across the globe, it was unclear whether Wikipedia volunteers would become less active in the face of the pandemic, or whether they would rise to meet the increased demand for high-quality information despite the added stress inflicted by this crisis. Analyzing 223 million edits contributed from 2018 to 2020 across twelve Wikipedia language editions, we find that Wikipedia's global volunteer community responded remarkably to the pandemic, substantially increasing both productivity and the number of newcomers who joined the community. For example, contributions to the English Wikipedia increased by over 20% compared to the expectation derived from pre-pandemic data. Our work sheds light on the response of a global volunteer population to the COVID-19 crisis, providing valuable insights into the behavior of critical online communities under stress.