Andrew Orlowski
Encyclopedia
Andrew Orlowski is a British
columnist
for the online IT news and opinion website The Register
.
, England
called Badpress. He has also written for Private Eye
magazine. In the late 1990s, he worked at Dennis Publishing
, on the magazine PC Pro
, and at Ziff Davis UK.
, U.S.
for The Register
in 2000.
In April 2003, he coined the term googlewashing to describe the potential for well-linked weblogs
to obscure the original meaning of a controversial expression (e.g., "the Second Superpower
").
Orlowski later classified this along with "absurd intellectual property
claims" as an example of an unwarranted assumption of power or authority
to gain sociological
advantage on behalf of a particular lobby
group.
In December 2004, he was invited to assemble a panel on techno-utopianism
at Harvard Law School
's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Orlowski argues that this form of utopianism distracts attention and diverts capital away from solving real infrastructure problems. "Technology can help us," he writes on his FAQ page. "But we venerate the machines we have, which aren't very good, and worse, limit ourselves to seeing the world through this machine metaphor. Technology is useful when it makes something we already like to do easier. Technology can't tell us something we don't know. Technology cannot solve problems that don't exist."
in The Register in mid-2004, and what began as incidental mockery — often involving responses to reader's emails and characterised by his coinage of the neologism wiki-fiddler — soon became a regular subject of his journalism. To Orlowski, Wikipedia is "a hobby, a multiplayer game and a repository for fan trivia" with the accuracy of articles varying "from the occasionally passable to the frequently risible, while its all-important readability is even worse — and deteriorating."
By December 2005, several such articles were being published each week, with subject matter including the characterisation of Wikipedia's co-founder Jimmy Wales
as a petty hypocrite and pornographer and average Wikipedians as rebellious children ("He's 14, he's got acne, he's got a lot of problems with authority ... and he's got an encyclopedia on dar interweb."), as well as a spoof article which announced that Wales had been shot.
Orlowski's comments indicate he believes Wikipedia is undergoverned (and thus of poor quality and morally hazardous) and unnecessary (in that "expensive databases" of information will become publicly accessible in the near future — "The good stuff will just come out of a computer network" — and well-capitalised enterprises will provide "much more attractive" alternatives). In April 2006, Orlowski expanded on these themes in an article for The Guardian
, in which he was the first journalist to draw attention to a then-new web site, Wikitruth, critical of Wikipedia.
, the UK Pirate Party
, as well as any user of peer to peer services 'freetards'. This coinage has subsequently been taken up by other writers at The Register.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for the online IT news and opinion website The Register
The Register
The Register is a British technology news and opinion website. It was founded by John Lettice, Mike Magee and Ross Alderson in 1994 as a newsletter called "Chip Connection", initially as an email service...
.
Early career
In 1992, Orlowski started an alternative newspaper in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
called Badpress. He has also written for Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
magazine. In the late 1990s, he worked at Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing Ltd. is an independent publisher. It was founded in 1974.As of April 2010 the company publishes 31 magazine or online titles, predominately in the UK....
, on the magazine PC Pro
PC Pro
PC Pro is one of several computer magazines published monthly in the United Kingdom by Dennis Publishing. PC Pro also licenses individual articles for republication in various countries around the world - and some articles are translated into local languages...
, and at Ziff Davis UK.
The Register
Orlowski became a columnist based in San FranciscoSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for The Register
The Register
The Register is a British technology news and opinion website. It was founded by John Lettice, Mike Magee and Ross Alderson in 1994 as a newsletter called "Chip Connection", initially as an email service...
in 2000.
In April 2003, he coined the term googlewashing to describe the potential for well-linked weblogs
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
to obscure the original meaning of a controversial expression (e.g., "the Second Superpower
Second Superpower
"Second Superpower" is a term used to conceptualize a global civil society as a world force comparable to or counterbalancing the United States...
").
Orlowski later classified this along with "absurd intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
claims" as an example of an unwarranted assumption of power or authority
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
to gain sociological
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
advantage on behalf of a particular lobby
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
group.
In December 2004, he was invited to assemble a panel on techno-utopianism
Techno-utopianism
Technological utopianism refers to any ideology based on the belief that advances in science and technology will eventually bring about a utopia, or at least help to fulfill one or another utopian ideal...
at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Orlowski argues that this form of utopianism distracts attention and diverts capital away from solving real infrastructure problems. "Technology can help us," he writes on his FAQ page. "But we venerate the machines we have, which aren't very good, and worse, limit ourselves to seeing the world through this machine metaphor. Technology is useful when it makes something we already like to do easier. Technology can't tell us something we don't know. Technology cannot solve problems that don't exist."
Criticism of Wikipedia
After making passing references since Wikipedia was announced in 2001, Orlowski first criticized WikipediaWikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
in The Register in mid-2004, and what began as incidental mockery — often involving responses to reader's emails and characterised by his coinage of the neologism wiki-fiddler — soon became a regular subject of his journalism. To Orlowski, Wikipedia is "a hobby, a multiplayer game and a repository for fan trivia" with the accuracy of articles varying "from the occasionally passable to the frequently risible, while its all-important readability is even worse — and deteriorating."
By December 2005, several such articles were being published each week, with subject matter including the characterisation of Wikipedia's co-founder Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
as a petty hypocrite and pornographer and average Wikipedians as rebellious children ("He's 14, he's got acne, he's got a lot of problems with authority ... and he's got an encyclopedia on dar interweb."), as well as a spoof article which announced that Wales had been shot.
Orlowski's comments indicate he believes Wikipedia is undergoverned (and thus of poor quality and morally hazardous) and unnecessary (in that "expensive databases" of information will become publicly accessible in the near future — "The good stuff will just come out of a computer network" — and well-capitalised enterprises will provide "much more attractive" alternatives). In April 2006, Orlowski expanded on these themes in an article for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, in which he was the first journalist to draw attention to a then-new web site, Wikitruth, critical of Wikipedia.
Criticism of the Open Rights Group and peer-to-peer
In a number of attack articles, he has dubbed activists of the Open Rights GroupOpen Rights Group
The Open Rights Group is a UK-based organisation that works to preserve digital rights and freedoms by campaigning on digital rights issues, acting as a media clearinghouse service putting journalists in touch with experts, and by fostering a community of grassroots activists...
, the UK Pirate Party
Pirate Party
The Pirate Party is a political party in Sweden founded in 2006. Its sudden popularity has given rise to parties with the same name and similar goals in Europe and worldwide, forming the international Pirate Party movement....
, as well as any user of peer to peer services 'freetards'. This coinage has subsequently been taken up by other writers at The Register.