Fabiola Larios
Fabiola’s journey through the Wikipedia workshop was marked by equal parts excitement and nerves. Aesthetic artist and digital art enthusiast, she arrived with a strong vision and a few concerns, particularly about her contributions being rejected. "I’m nervous that the article I want to write—a new page—will get rejected," she admitted. Her aspirations to create an entry on Cute Accelerationism were tempered by the complexity of the topic. "I’m nervous if I’m going to start a big discussion about accelerationism," she wrote, highlighting her desire to engage with the subject deeply while remaining open to the community’s input.
““I’m nervous that the article I want to write—a new page—will get rejected.”
As she dove into the workshop, Fabiola quickly learned about the essential pillars of Wikipedia: neutrality and verifiability. "Neutrality is not to put your opinion in an article," she explained, understanding that Wikipedia requires a writer to step back from personal bias. "Verifiability is having the resources to write about something that is fact-checked and the source is reliable." For Fabiola, it became clear that while sources themselves could carry biases, the key to neutrality was ensuring that her writing did not take sides. This was particularly important for her work on accelerationism, a topic that can provoke heated debate.
Fabiola felt an immediate connection to the process of learning to edit. "Great, I love it," she wrote, describing her experience. There was a palpable sense of empowerment in her words, as she realized the potential of contributing to a global knowledge base. "I feel that there is a lot of power and feeling of accomplishment when you can contribute with things that are missing," she reflected. For her, Wikipedia wasn’t just about correcting facts—it was about creating something that was needed, filling gaps in the digital world.
“I feel that there is a lot of power and feeling of accomplishment when you can contribute with things that are missing.”
Her current project, Cute Accelerationism, was still in her sandbox, not yet an official article. But that didn’t diminish her enthusiasm. She was meticulously gathering information, organizing sources, and planning her contribution. Fabiola also focused on learning how to deal with complicated topics like accelerationism, where different perspectives might make the review process more challenging. "I don’t think it’s going to be that bad," she concluded, noting that she was dealing with historical facts, which gave her some confidence that the community review would go smoothly when the time came.
One of the biggest surprises for Fabiola was realizing the scope of Wikipedia’s openness. "That Wikipedia is not fact-checked," she wrote, reflecting her realization that anyone could contribute and that it was up to the community to maintain accuracy. She had originally thought editing was restricted to special events or for those who worked for Wikipedia. Discovering that she could contribute anytime, from anywhere, opened up a world of possibilities for her.
As someone who reads voraciously about her interests, Fabiola found parallels between her artistic research and her new role as a Wikipedia editor. "I keep bookmarks about sources that I can come back to whenever I need to read them again or reinforce something from my projects," she explained. This habit of collecting and organizing information made her a natural fit for the research-based world of Wikipedia, where she could apply these skills to a broader, communal project.
Fabiola saw Wikipedia as a constantly evolving encyclopedia, a key difference from traditional books. "Wikipedia is like an encyclopedia that can be constantly updated, not like books that have to go through a big process of editing," she observed. This adaptability was what excited her most—it allowed for the quick dissemination of knowledge in a way that was far more dynamic than traditional publishing. For Fabiola, Wikipedia’s ability to serve as an "index" of knowledge made it accessible to people who weren’t specialized in a particular subject but still wanted to learn.
When it came to her local community, Fabiola saw great potential in Wikipedia’s role in promoting Miami culture. "It can help with information being more abundant and true," she said, imagining how the platform could project a better image of the city’s unique artistic and cultural contributions.
Her advice to future Wikipedia editors was to start by finding something interesting that wasn’t already on the platform. "Find something interesting that you haven’t seen on Wikipedia!" she encouraged, adding that multilingual editors could make a big impact by translating articles that aren’t available in other languages.
Looking ahead, Fabiola was enthusiastic about her future contributions, particularly in translating and spotlighting digital artists. "I really want to keep working on translating digital art artists and give more spotlight to people that truly represent digital art," she shared. She felt a strong sense of purpose in writing about important cultural and societal shifts, like accelerationism, and saw this as an opportunity to shape conversations about the world as it is now. "I got a really cool experience from editing Accelerationism and researching Cute Accelerationism," she wrote, excited to continue exploring these topics and contributing to Wikipedia’s vast archive of knowledge.
“I really want to keep working on translating digital artists and give more spotlight to people that truly represent digital art.”
Fabiola’s journey was one of discovery and creative energy. From her initial nerves about rejection to her newfound confidence in contributing to complex topics, she emerged from the workshop with a clear vision: to use Wikipedia as a tool for expanding the representation of digital art and culture, and to help others learn about the subjects she’s passionate about.
