Evaluating Articles and Sources

I chose to evaluate the 'Cocacolonization' article as it clearly required some work, shown by the box Wikipedia placed at the top of the page. The box stated that the article required attention before it met Wikipedia's standards, specifically around citations/sources and point of view/neutrality. While I was reading the article I noticed that these claims were well founded because it indeed read similar to an essay which is not the ideal status for Wikipedia articles; while not being outwardly obvious in a point of view it presents a slight persuasive attitude, similar to an essay. Wikipedia aims to have articles as neutral as possible, to present the facts and information without having a stake in how a person interprets the information. Concerning sources, the article did have a variety of sources but lacked details in the citations. Sourcing is extremely important for Wikipedia because people need to be able to trust that the information being published is reliable. Additionally, the content itself seems to be quite scattered, in the sense that many sections have been started but are unfinished. This does not help the coherent nature of Wikipedia in the idea that their articles tend to supply mass amounts of information that are supposed to give an overall understanding of topics - a lot of the sections in 'Cocacolonization' would benefit from being expanded.

Colonised tropics 1945

Illustrate an Article

Image found using Wikimedia Commons, suggested by training modules. I chose to find an image for the 'Colonization' Wikipedia article. The page already contained other maps but I thought this one added to the content as well - perhaps to be placed in the more modern sections of the content. The image in question is able for use because it has a GNU Free Documentation Licence as stated in the text below (from the description of the image when I found it).

A modified version of "Image:Colonization 1945.png". "United Kingdom" is replaced by "British Empire" and Canada, Australia and New Zealand are included in order to show that though Canada, Australia and New Zealand were not colonies of or subordinate to the United Kingdom they did form a union with it. The author of "Image:Colonization 1945.png" gave it a GNU Free Documentation Licence.

Adding to an Article: Cocacolonization (Published on official Wikipedia page as well)

Cocacolonization has been linked to the spike in Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases because of the connection between economic situation and low costs of high fat foods.[1]

DRAFT: Cocacolonization

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Link to original article: Cocacolonization

Below are a couple copied sections from the original page, featuring some draft additions for the article.

Late 1940s and the Cold War

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The end of World War II marked widespread cocacolonization of Europe and Asia. In 1947, Coca-Cola bottling operations began in the NetherlandsBelgium, and Luxembourg; then Switzerland, Italy, and France by 1949. Author Mark Gordon said, "American ideals were now being pushed on Europeans every time they sipped a bottle of Coke." By the early 1950s, there were 63 bottling plants expanding across three continents including the countries of: EgyptIcelandIranWest Africa, and New Guinea. The Coca-Cola store in China helping to celebrate the New Year. Many US companies benefitted from expansion into Europe, including Coca-Cola. Through these foreign endeavours, the US was able to informally create a business and corporate empire via the expansion of several US companies. [2]

By the time of the Cold War, Coke met resistance in some countries. Italians kept from indulging in the soda.Austrians recognized the expansion of the company as an attempt to spread American culture and ideals overseas. In France, French communists spread awareness about Coca-Cola. They coined the term cocacolonization because they saw the spread of Coke in their country as an attempt to make it an American colony. When the company attempted to open a bottling plant in the country, French Communists threatened to barricade Paris to keep Coke out. To the French, the company represented Capitalist America.

At the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of Communism in Germany in November 1989, Coca-Cola handed out sodas.

Health factors

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Medical experts use the term cocacolonization in medical journals representing the spread of unhealthy American foods overseas.

A significant shift in nutrition has occurred. Developed nations export processed foods that are high in saturated fats to developing nations, causing a change from previous methods of survival such as hunting and gathering. [3]

Cocacolonization has been linked to the spike in Type 2 Diabetes , obesity, and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases because of the connection between economic situation and low costs of high fat foods. [4]

Due to an increase in tourism in their area, the Mayan tribe in the Yucatán Peninsula experienced a decline in health because they were introduced to unhealthy American foods. They became increasingly dependent on the foods. Similarly, the Tz'utujill tribe in Guatemala was also introduced to the same food and encountered the same decline in health lead. Worldwide, type 2 diabetes spread and steadily increased over the past 20 years. The explanation for their decline in health: cocacolonization.

  1. ^ Zimmet, P. (2000). Globalization, coca‐colonization and the chronic disease epidemic: can the Doomsday scenario be averted?. Journal of internal medicine247(3), 301-310.
  2. ^ Wagnleitner, R. (2000). Coca-colonization and the Cold War: the cultural mission of the United States in Austria after the Second World War. Univ of North Carolina Press.
  3. ^ Zimmet, P. (2000). Globalization, coca‐colonization and the chronic disease epidemic: can the Doomsday scenario be averted?. Journal of internal medicine247(3), 301-310.
  4. ^ Zimmet, P. (2000). Globalization, coca‐colonization and the chronic disease epidemic: can the Doomsday scenario be averted?. Journal of internal medicine247(3), 301-310.