wikiality
nounEtymology Blend of Wikipedia + reality, coined by American comedian and writer Stephen Colbert on 31 July 2006 on his show The Colbert Report.
1
Derogatory, Usually The supposed reality described by Wikipedia articles, whose content is established by majority consensus.
- A group of undergraduates and alumni combated the backlash of "wikiality" and put their own spin on the facts about Cornell in an article about the University on the Web site Wikipedia.2006 September 20, Felicia Daniels, “Wikipedia selects Cornell U. page as 'Featured Article'”, in University Wire:
- Yet, this is the wikiality("truth based on consensus rather than fact") of the world, I'm sorry, of America, today2007 January 5, Matt Martin, “Are we best we can be?”, in The Lantern:
2 more examples
- Most important, here, Colbert calls attention to the Bush administration's cooption of wikiality: its continuous campaign to manipulate public perception.2009, Jonathan Gray, Jeffrey P. Jones, Ethan Thompson, Satire TV: politics and comedy in the post-network era, NYU Press, →ISBN:
- Back in 2006, comedian Stephen Colbert did a bit about Wikipedia, saying it was the harbinger of a distorted form of reality called “Wikiality” […] Fast forward to 2025 and it seems that Wikipedia might be the antidote to “alternative facts”, with lessons not just for the web, but for society more broadly.[2025 October 27, David Shariatmadari, “‘People thought I was a communist doing this as a non-profit’: is Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales the last decent tech baron?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
- Related terms
- truthiness