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Developer creates endless Wikipedia feed to fight algorithm addiction

⁨1207⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨amon@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/02/new-wikitok-web-app-allows-infinite-tiktok-style-scroll-of-wikipedia/

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Comments

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  • ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    wikitok.vercel.app

    WikiTok

    Not sure if there’s an app yet, I found one on the Android store by Arakassia…

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    • BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Most “apps” are just http web hooks to a regular website backend with extra tracking telemetry. So a website working as a PWA should be enough for everyone. I hate how everything has to be a fucking app, because it doesn’t need to be

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      • AstralPath@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        If phone OSes made it so there’s less friction to save a web page as an icon on your desktop it would help to resolve that issue I think.

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    • MrSilkworm@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      On android:

      1. Open link in Firefox.
      2. Tap the three dots.
      3. Tap “add to start screen”

      There’s your app!

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      • LucidNightmare@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        On iOS through Safari: Tap the Share icon Scroll down a little Add to Home Screen Profit?

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    • theorychapter@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Seems to work fine as a PWA-esque shortcut on iOS for the time being

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  • lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    endless feed

    to fight algorithm addiction

    endless

    feed

    to fight algorithm addiction

    Uuuuuh that’s not the way to fight an addiction, right? Who is this person working for, exactly?

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    • Bob_Robertson_IX@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Think of it as a methadone clinic for doomscrollers.

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      • BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I may have a problem

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      • asteriskeverything@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        If methadone was also educational 🌈⭐

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      • chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        More like a brothel for sex addicts.

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    • fox2263@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I don’t think there’s an algorithm involved actually. Just lovely facts.

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      • Anivia@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Well, there has to be some kind of algorithm. Even picking a random Wikipedia article technically is an algorithm, just not one that adapts to the user

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    • Rooty@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Think of it as taking methadone instead of heroin.

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  • Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    “Some people just wanna watch the world learn.”

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  • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    This is pretty awesome. I do see the need to be able to add categories of interest. Like follow history, the arts, etc. Cool regardless.

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    • misterdoctor@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      “I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm,” Gemal told Ars. “And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we’re already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can’t we just have one little corner in the world without them?”

      The developer seems staunchly anti-algorithm but I feel like some sort of filter system would work well. I know nothing about development but the same level of randomosity (it’s a word don’t look it up) but for specific topics would be amazing.

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      • auraithx@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        ;/

        Algorithms themselves are fine. It’s wikipedia. I’d actually use it if it brought me to interesting pages based on a recommender algorithm.

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    • artificialfish@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It needs the TikTok algorithm

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  • KeraKali@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Just found this article that for some reason has me dying of laughter: ICBM address

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    • ininewcrow@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      That’s hilarious

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    • skulblaka@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      If you enjoy this, have a peek at The Jargon File. Classic hacker slang is something else.

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      • BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Thank you for this. Very interesting read about hacker speak.

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    • BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I love this. ICBM address is a very clever joke.

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  • 58008@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Would be cool if the official Wikipedia mobile app integrated this functionality! It does have a ‘random articles’ card, but it’s nothing like this.

    Not sure ‘addiction’ is being defeated here, though 😆 Like if I’m addicted to sausages, giving me bacon instead isn’t really solving the root of the issue. The issue being those sexy, sexy pigs.

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    • Jolteon@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      The addiction isn’t being defeated, it’s just being redirected from something worthless to something useful. Well, at least less useless.

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  • GluWu@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Saw this posted in a ADHD com a few days back. Every comment was just like “oh no…”. I opened it and like 20 minutes later realized, oh no. I can and have spent many entire days just reading Wikipedia and following linked subjects. So much so I run out in areas. I can’t handle a lot of visual and audio stimulation, short form content is such a nightmare for me, can’t watch it. But give me pages of the most dense info and I’m hooked. I just need the option to download every paper referenced from every Wikipedia page I visit.

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  • AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    This is exactly what I needed

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  • RedSnt@feddit.dk ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    That’s actually really cool. I like that the dev has expressed that he doesn’t want to make the algorithm addictive and just keep it random 😅

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  • RedFrank24@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Does it fight algorithm addiction or does it just utilise existing algorithm addiction to give you something slightly more informative?

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    • Hachiman@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I would disagree on the “slightly more informative” part. I have used it and in my opinion, it’s “highly informative and educational”.

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    • grrgyle@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It’s like what vaping is to nicotine addiction.

      Better than the alternative, buttt

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      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Butt nicotine? What kind of weird stuff you into?

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    • blind3rdeye@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Apparently it doesn’t use a personalised algorithm. So I’d say the first one.

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  • IndustryStandard@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I recall people in the past spending their day reading random Wikipedia trivia. Overal the knowledge is rather useless.

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    • Anti_Face_Weapon@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Useless? Knowledge for the sake of itself is worth pursuing.

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      • IndustryStandard@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Is it though?

        Image

        Image

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      • the_doktor@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        There is no knowledge that is not power.

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    • ludrol@bookwormstory.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Usless knowladge is still better than tiktok journals.sagepub.com/doi/…/07067437221082854

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      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Information > misinformation

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    • phoenixz@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Still better than endless tiktiok scroll, me thinks

      Due to shitty company pokicies where I worked, I once had a 6 month stint of reading Wikipedia 4-6 hours a day out of boredom and fuck yeah did I learn a lot of bew things. Sure, not everything sticks, but it’s enough

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      • CarbonBasedNPU@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Also just getting more word a day is great for your vocabulary. Ive been reading a lot more lately and have noticed that the more I read even relatively simple books that my vocabulary has vastly expanded even in everyday life. Im much less often left searching for a word because I have likely seen it more recently.

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    • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Maybe, but you will win more pub quizzes and it’s better than brainrot content

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    • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      As opposed to spending the day reading social media where the knowledge is useful?

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    • AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Knowledge is a good in and of itself

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    • Darkhoof@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Because Tiktok is so much better.

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  • Gsus4@mander.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Web 1.0 cures web 2.0 again.

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    • parrhesia@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It’s a neat way to stumble upon interesting information randomly Time is a flat circle

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  • MCasq_qsaCJ_234@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    WikiTok > TikTok

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    • Manalith@midwest.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I know it needs to maintain the Wiki name for branding purposes, but WikTok meshes better.

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      • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Alternatively WikiToko would be cute

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  • pineapplelover@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Everyday I read wikipedia and everyday, I learn something new. Fucking love this free resource

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  • HexadecimalSky@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    As someone who loved the random article feature and will sometimes peruse Wikipedia at random, this is extremely fascinating to me.

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  • thevoidzero@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I see the dev don’t want recommendation algorithm. All good to avoid the recommendation bubble, but a category/tags might be nice instead of random everything.

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  • GBU_28@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    My God my general but shallow knowledge of many things will grow more powerful

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  • dylanjustice@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    This should be gamified. Use an LLM to generate a mini-quiz on the topic to make sure I read it. Give me points for acquiring new useless knowledge, and let me compete with my friends and family.

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    • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I like this idea.

      I don’t know if I will do anything with it, but I would like to create something like this. Find it hard to develop when I’m not in work, as it feels like work.

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      • reiterationstation@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Do it!

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  • LittleRatInALittleHat@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    This is awesome. :3

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  • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I want this, but with high quality news sources. And then sort such that topics are distributed.

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  • portuga@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I too find this such a nice refreshing take on wikipedia. It’s only been a few days, hope the developer improves it further. I realize some kind of recommendation algorithm opens a pandora’s box, but one can dream

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    • comalnik@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      One big thing i hope they add is sorting by topic, so i can have a biology feed, a physics feed…

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      • breadcat@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        they have this already, at least on the app version

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  • Cad@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Wikipedia already has a “random article” function. I guess the tiktok ui is nice for some folks.

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  • miscellanii@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    If someone made this for TV Tropes, I would never get anything productive done again

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  • fartknocker@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I can feel my butthole unclenching already 🥲

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  • Theonetheycall1845@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I’ve downloaded the app and left a five star rating. The app works great! Please show support to this developer ❤️

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    • Psythik@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I just installed it and was immediately annoyed by the auto-scrolling feature being turned on by default. Is that really how TikTok works? How does anyone put up with this shit?

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      • Theonetheycall1845@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Not sure but i support them for trying. Maybe leave a review and ask the dev to change it.

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      • cybercitizen4@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        It’s not. You have to enable autoscrolling on TikTok.

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    • Squizzy@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      What app? Isnt just browser bsed?

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      • Theonetheycall1845@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        It’s app based. I found it on Google Play.

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  • demonsword@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I’m imagining one of those that feeds you random TVTropes instead

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  • x00z@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Sadly the design is pretty bad on desktop monitors.

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  • mechoman444@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Just got the app it’s absolutely fantastic.

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  • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Does it have an algorithm of some kind?

    I usually hate them but for something safe like wikipedia i would love to have it tailored to my interests.

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    • RmDebArc_5@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Apparently not:

      “I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm,” Gemal told Ars. “And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we’re already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can’t we just have one little corner in the world without them?”

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      • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I understand their stance but it is a bit sad because if i could tailor it to my interests i absolutely would use it all the time.

        Wikipedia is massive there is way more that i don’t want to read then there is that i do.

        Personally i think there is roam for a “not insane, Fully transparent and user controlled” algorithm but also that would take a lot of developer effort.

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    • TachyonTele@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Are you asking if the app made specifically without an algorithm has an algorithm?

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      • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Its not presented as being specifically made without.

        There is plenty of room for more ethical algorithms and to get technical. It definitely does have a algorithm.

        A very basic formula that simulates randomness to pick one Wikipedia page after the other.

        I just wish i could customize that to my interests. So for example it favors articles tagged as ancient mythology and minimizes politicians from the 90s

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  • cy_narrator@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    what is the likelihood of it having this

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    • Bali@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      You are a Sadist Lmfao

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