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Prediction

101 Things #098: 50% of Wikipedia will be useless within 10 years because of 'link-rot'

A dated future observation from Jim Carroll’s December 7, 2021 “101 Things We Know About Our Future” list.

50% of Wikipedia will be useless within 10 years because of 'link-rot'
101-thingsforesight-receipt2021
Publish Date2021-12-07
Updated Date2026-09-18
Made Date2021-12-07
Horizonlater
Outcomeopen
Confidencemedium

Original 2021 statement: 50% of Wikipedia will be useless within 10 years because of ‘link-rot

What Jim has written about this

From “Wikipedia Article” (March 2026)

For several years, I ‘existed’ in the form of an article on Wikipedia.

Over the years, as link-rot set in (disappearing links), and as the article was whittled down by various people for whatever purpose, it became smaller and smaller. Eventually, a group of editors concluded that it was just promotional fluff and took it down.

The Wikipedia process over quality control, and content is VERY complex, with many people involved. You can’t mess with the process. Heck, years back, I did a keynote with the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, and he told me he wouldn’t even dare to get involved in the process

From “Daily Inspiration: “It’s time to move from triage to tomorrow!”” (January 2023)

The 40 mega-cities that will account for the majority of the earth’s population 20 years out will grow most of their food within the city, including within 100-story high ‘vertical farms’

Fifty years out, people will still write lists of ‘101 things’ because it provides a nice structure for creative thinking


Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:

Wikipedia Article
Daily Inspiration: “It’s time to move from triage to tomorrow!”

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