Encyclopędia Dramatica is a website that catalogs and/or satirizes current events and themes, especially Internet-related ones. It has been described as a "snarky Wikipedia anti-fansite".^[1]

The site uses the MediaWiki engine to implement a wiki^[2][3] that primarily presents its subject matter in an irreverent, obtuse, politically incorrect^[4] and often abusive style,^[5] using links and cross references intentionally made to appear comprehensive, with copious use of pornographic and shocking images. Many articles are written in a satirical manner to upset those who take the content seriously; this practice of provoking people into an emotional response is known on the Internet as trolling.^[6][4][7] The emotional responses are then added to the articles, often in a derogatory or inflammatory manner, with the purpose of provoking further emotional response. The site claims that it is "[d]one in the spirit of Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary".^[8]

Content

This wiki has been characterized as "an online compendium of troll humor and lore".^[6] Its articles relate to news, current events, gossip and other "drama" topics from across the web, utilize controversial article content, placement and correlation to portray the issues and reflect the variety of perspectives held by its editors regarding the subject matter covered.

Forums, fansites, Internet subculture, users of web services,^[1] and online catchphrases are satirized in a manner described variously as coarse, offensive and frequently obscene.^{[4][9][10][11]} Articles at Encyclopędia Dramatica are notably critical of MySpace^[11] and administrators of Wikipedia.^[1]

Media attention

The website received mainstream media attention after Jason Fortuny used Encyclopędia Dramatica to post photographs, e-mails and phone numbers from one hundred and seventy-six responses to a Craigslist advertisement he posted in 2006, in which he posed as a woman seeking sexual encounters with dominant men.^[6][2][3]

Encyclopędia Dramatica has been cited as a reference on Internet culture by the print media publication the New Statesman,^[12] as well as the AlterNet,^[13] Language Log^[14] and Londonist weblogs.^[15] It has recently gained recognition as an authority on imageboard (especially 4chan) slang, culture and Internet memes by on-line magazines such as Wired.^[7][5][16]

The convergence of Project Chanology, specifically the anti-Scientology campaign, with Encyclopędia Dramatica was noted by technology journalist Julian Dibbell.^[17] Because the wiki is a central catalog for parody and satire of interesing things happening on the Internet,^[4] it has served as a place for members of Anonymous to mingle^[4][18][19] for purposes of keeping up with ever-changing lingo, understanding new memes and following the campaigns of others.^[18] In one such instance this awareness resulted in a cooperative effort to indict a man who may have solicited sex from minors,^[20] but journalist Ryan Singel has referred to the website as "the world's stupidest wiki",^[19] for reasons that include documented inside jokes by members of Anonymous about their harassment tactics and bravado.^[19]

References

External links

• Encyclopędia Dramatica
• Lulzcon – Official Encyclopędia Dramatica convention (last held Autumn 2007)
• Encyclopędia Dramatica statistics at Alexa.com
• Encyclopędia Dramatica statistics at Compete.com

cs:Encyclopędia Dramatica es:Encyclopędia Dramatica fr:Encyclopedia Dramatica hsb:Encyclopedia Dramatica it:Encyclopedia Dramatica pt:Encyclopedia Dramatica simple:Encyclopedia Dramatica sk:Encyclopędia Dramatica fi:Encyclopedia Dramatica sv:Encyclopedia Dramatica

---

Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article