ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Predictions of the end of Wikipedia

Imagine you have a big book with lots of pages, and each page has lots of information. That's what Wikipedia is like, but it's on the internet instead of a book. People around the world can read it and even add more information to it.

Now, some people think that one day, Wikipedia might stop working and no one will be able to read it anymore. There are many reasons why people think this might happen, but here are a few:

1. People might get tired of adding information: Right now, lots of people contribute to Wikipedia because they enjoy it and want to help others learn. But one day, people might stop wanting to do this, and if no one adds new information to Wikipedia, it will stop growing.

2. Money might become a problem: Running and maintaining Wikipedia costs money, and right now, they rely on donations from people who use it. But if people stop donating, Wikipedia might not have enough money to keep going.

3. Fake information: There are some people who like to mess with Wikipedia and add fake information to it. This can be a big problem because people might believe the fake information and think it's true. If this happens a lot, people might stop trusting Wikipedia.

4. Other websites might become more popular: Right now, lots of people use Wikipedia to learn new things, but one day, another website might become more popular and people might stop using Wikipedia.

So, while we don't know for sure what will happen to Wikipedia in the future, it is important that we continue to support it by contributing information and donating money if we can. This way, we can help ensure that future generations can also enjoy and learn from it.