Yes. The Admin Problem. This week, The World Around Us looks at the growing social phenomenon of Wikipedians and Admins. What makes a Wikipedian want to become an admin?
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Well it's not a question of wanting to be an admin... it just sort of happens to you. All of a sudden you realise... that's what you want to do.
And when did you first notice these... er... tendencies? Well, I was about seventeen and some mates and me went to a library, and, er... we had quite a lot to write about and then some of the fellows there... started dishing out {{uw-vandalism4}} templates... and well just out of curiosity I had a look... and well that was that. And what else did they do? Well some of them started logging in with their admin accounts... and then when they'd got the two factor authentication done they started... blocking And what was your reaction to this? Well I was shocked. But, er... gradually I came to feel that I was more at ease... with admins.
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'What is it that attracts someone like Mr. A to this way of behaving? I have with me an internet armchair psychologist.
Well, we armchair psychologists have found that over 8% of the world will be Wikipedia admins. I mean, after all, there's something of the admin in all of us. I mean, how many of us can say honestly at one time or another they haven't felt sexually attracted to admins? I know I have! I mean, most normal adolescents go through a stage of reverting vandalism about two or three times a day; of course most of them are attracted to it by its very prestige and mystique. Look at Twitter trolling - I mean, how many of us can honestly say that we haven't at one time or another fired off misogynistic and racial abuse to a complete stranger on the internet? I know I have! The only solution is to reduce the number of offences. Get it out in the open! I know I have!
