When google shows our data directly it is not a decrease of readers, but
of users accessing our interface, (the same with AIbots), and I perceive
it as all OK,,it is use of our data that is important not our interface
And look a bit closer of accesses last half year, and of different
language versions, it is not a clearcut decrease.
And I believe that your cherry picking of negative data is dangerous
for us all, We should use the opportunity we have just now of all fake
data among us to be prouder and more visible, and not be pessimistic and
defensive
Anders
Den 2026-01-10 kl. 09:31, skrev Christophe Henner:
Anders please read my essay, readership numbers are in huge decline
and it’s accelerating.
Ironically, I agree with things you say here, but not for “no cause
for alarm”. When readership is over two digits decrease while Reddit
is growing and AI chats product are booming, it’s alarming.
Top that with the fact that this is a trend that started almost 10
years ago and is accelerating is even worse.
And perhaps you are right, every tu ing will be fine, but data is not
pointing in that direction at all.
--
Christophe
On Sat, Jan 10, 2026 at 9:24 AM Anders Wennersten
<[email protected]> wrote:
As i stated in an earlier thread, i see our situation very
different, We are in this strange world we are in, a winner and
important holder of true fact amid all fake-news and censured
channels.
The donation grew by 12,5% 2024-2025 indicating the very strong
support we have amid internet readers, and at least in en wp we
see a growth in new users. Number of readers is about stable the
last couple of years at the same time we see Google, now show WP
article directly bypassing WP interface, and AI bot is more and
more heavily relying on the content of Wikipedia. I see nu cause
for alarm at all, on the contrary
Instead of being pessimistic as you indicate I suggest us being
optimistic and use our opportunity to be a more estabished leader
in giving true facts
Anders
Den 2026-01-10 kl. 00:40, skrev Christophe Henner:
Hey everyone,
I struggled with the object, the most honest one would be "Last
exit before irrelevance" but that would be a bit violent.
So, Wikipedia turns 25 next week. I've been here for over twenty
of those years, including stints chairing Wikimedia France and
the Foundation Board. And honestly? I'm worried. Scared to be
honnest.
Over the last years, I've been regularly crunching data and
sharing on different channels my worries. But in the last few
weeks I decided to make a much more structured "essay" of my findings
Since 2016, the internet nearly doubled in size.
Our page views? Down. New editor sign-ups? Down 36%.
The people keeping this thing running are working harder than
ever, but there are fewer of them every year.
I wrote it all up: the numbers, what I think went wrong, what I
think we need to do about it. Fair warning: it's long, it's
opinionated, and some of it will probably make you mad.
*Here it is: *https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Schiste/what-now
I'm not trying to be doom and gloom for the sake of it. I
genuinely believe we have maybe two years to make some hard calls
about AI, about money, about who we're actually serving. After
that, the window closes and we become irrelevant.
Could be wrong. Hope I am. But I'd rather we have this argument
now than wish we had later. Well I'd rather we had this argument
two or four years ago, but now we will make do.
Read it, tell me where I'm off base. Let's argue and debate.
That's what talk pages are for, right?
PS: Foundation board mailing list is bcc'ed, change cannot happen
without their commitment. And fast.
--
Christophe
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