Talk:Alex Wright (author)

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Request for updates

[edit]

I am the subject of this page and would like to suggest a handful of minor updates to correct out-of-date information and update the entry with recent publications, academic research, and employment details.

  • What I think should be changed:

Suggested edit:

Alex Wright is an American writer and Information Architect. He is the author of two books: Cataloging the World: Paul Otlet and the Birth of the Information Age (2014) and Glut: Mastering Information Through the Ages (republished as a second edition in 2023 by Cornell University Press under the title "Informatica"). Wright is also a User Experience leader at Google. Many of his writings examine the current state of information transmission and organization through a historical, scientific, or cultural context.[1][2]

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Suggested edit:

Wright grew up in Richmond, Virginia and Sussex, England. He holds a PhD in Design from Carnegie Mellon University, where he completed a doctoral dissertation entitled "Regenerative User Experience: Towards a Heuristics of Post-Capitalist Digital Design Practice." He also holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College and a B.A. in English Literature from Brown University. In addition to his books, his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Salon.com, The Believer (magazine), Wilson Quarterly, Communications of the ACM, and elsewhere. Wright currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, two sons, and dog, Yoda.[3] He has held UX leadership roles at Google, Instagram, Etsy, The New York Times, and IBM; and has consulted for clients including frog design, Adobe, Yahoo!, The New York Public Library, and the Internet Archive. From 2008-2019 he taught courses at the School of Visual Arts' MFA program in Interaction Design. [4]

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Suggested edit:


  • Wright, Alex (2023). Informatica:Mastering Information Through the Ages. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1501768675.
  • Wright, Alex (2022). Regenerative User Experience:Towards a Heuristics of Post-Capitalist Digital Design Practice (PDF) (PhD thesis). Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Wright, Alex (2014). Cataloging the World:Paul Otlet and the Birth of the Information Age. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199354207.
  • Wright, Alex (2007). Glut:Mastering Information Through the Ages. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0801475092.

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  • Why it should be changed:

These changes will improve this biographical entry by addressing incorrect/out-of-date information and incorporating additional details about published works, academic research, and employment information. I believe that these suggested edits are consistent with Wikipedia guidelines.

Specific changes include:

  • First paragraph - Reference the second edition of my first book, released in 2023 by Cornell University Press, and to correct outdated employment information to reflect my current role at Google:
  • Biography - Include a reference to my PhD and dissertation completed in 2022, as well as additional publication credits:
  • Bibliography - Update to include citations for the second edition of my first book and my PhD dissertation.

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  • References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button):

"Informatica". Cornell University Press. Retrieved 2025-01-10.</ref>

"Celebrating our new PhD's in Transition Design for 2022". Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved 2023-09-05.</ref>

"Alex Wright". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2025-01-10.</ref>

"About". Alex Wright. Retrieved 2023-09-05.</ref>

Awright249 (talk) 16:56, 10 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ Gary Anthes. "Q&A with Alex Wright". Computerworld. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Paul Otlet, Google, Wikipedia, and cataloging the world". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  3. ^ "About Alex Wright". Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  4. ^ "About". Alex Wright. Retrieved 2023-09-05.

Awright249 (talk) 16:56, 10 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I personally believe the wording used here looks to be more promotional in nature in violation of Wikipedia policy, particularly the LinkedIn reference. Have you checked that the edits you propose do not also violate WP:BLP? In other words, all content in the article needs to be neutrally and objectively worded. Please feel free to submit again when those requirements are definitely met. Gommeh (talk/contribs) 20:53, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

COI Edit Request: Updated lead, biography, and bibliography (new reliable sources)

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Hello — I am the subject of this article and previously submitted an edit request earlier this year. That request was declined due to concerns about sourcing and promotional tone. I have prepared a fully revised request that addresses those issues by:

  • removing LinkedIn and other non-reliable/self-published sources,
  • tightening the tone to ensure strict neutrality under WP:NPOV and WP:BLP,
  • limiting changes to factual corrections and published works, and
  • providing new independent, reliably published sources, including the newly announced book listing from Basic Books/Hachette.

I am submitting this as a new request because the sourcing landscape has materially changed (e.g., new publisher-confirmed book release), and the proposed edits have been completely rewritten for neutrality and verifiability.

Thank you in advance for reviewing.

COI Edit Request: Update lead, biography, and bibliography with new independent sources

[edit]

Below is a diff-style request with proposed replacement text and supporting citations.

1. Proposed updated lead section

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Replace the current lead with:

Alex Wright is an American writer. He has also worked in the fields of user experience and information design. He is the author of ''Cataloging the World: Paul Otlet and the Birth of the Information Age'' (2014), ''Glut: Mastering Information Through the Ages'' (2007), and the forthcoming ''Empire of Ink: The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals Who Invented American Media'' (Basic Books, 2026). A revised edition of ''Glut'' was published by Cornell University Press in 2023 under the title ''Informatica''. Wright's writing has appeared in publications including ''The New York Times'', ''The Atlantic'', ''Salon'', ''The Believer'', and ''Communications of the ACM''.

Citations: <ref>{{cite web |title=Empire of Ink |url=https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/alex-wright/empire-of-ink/9781541606791/ |publisher=Basic Books (Hachette) |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Informatica: Mastering Information Through the Ages |url=https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501768675/informatica/ |publisher=Cornell University Press |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Cataloging the World |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cataloging-the-world-9780199354207 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |last=Wright |first=Alex |title=Robot and Human Actors Take Bows Together |work=The New York Times |date=2012-07-05 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/theater/robot-and-human-actors-take-bows-together.html}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |last=Wright |first=Alex |title=The Lost Promise of the Internet |work=Salon |date=2014-06-29 |url=https://www.salon.com/2014/06/29/the_lost_promise_of_the_internet/}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Alex Wright – The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/author/alex-wright/ |publisher=The Atlantic |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Author: Alex Wright |url=https://www.thebeliever.net/contributor/alex-wright/ |publisher=The Believer |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Author: Alex Wright |url=https://cacm.acm.org/author/alex-wright/ |publisher=Communications of the ACM |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Q&A with Alex Wright |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/1713442/alex-wright.html |publisher=Computerworld |date=2009-03-02 |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref>

2. Proposed updated biography section

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Replace the existing biography with:

Wright holds a Ph.D. in Design from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College, and a B.A. in English Literature from Brown University. From 2008 to 2019, he taught in the MFA Interaction Design program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His professional career has included user experience and information design roles in technology and media organizations.

Citations: <ref>{{cite web |title=Celebrating our new PhD's in Transition Design for 2022 |url=https://design.cmu.edu/news/2022-transition-design-phd-graduates |publisher=Carnegie Mellon University |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Wright, Alex 1966– (Alex Grant Wright) |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/wright-alex-1966-alex-grant-wright |website=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Alex Wright – Faculty (archived) |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219183448/http://interactiondesign.sva.edu/about/faculty/alex_wright |publisher=School of Visual Arts |access-date=2025-12-10}}</ref>

3. Proposed updated bibliography

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Replace the current bibliography with:

== Bibliography == === Books === * ''Empire of Ink: The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals Who Invented American Media.'' Basic Books, 2026. * ''[[Cataloging the World]]: Paul Otlet and the Birth of the Information Age.'' Oxford University Press, 2014. * ''[[Glut]]: Mastering Information Through the Ages.'' National Academies Press, 2007. === Academic Work === * Wright, Alex (2022). ''Regenerative User Experience: Towards a Heuristics of Post-Capitalist Digital Design Practice.'' PhD dissertation, Carnegie Mellon University.

All items are supported by reliable, independently published sources.

Thank you for your consideration. Please let me know if any adjustments or additional citations are needed.

— Awright249 (talk) 02:02, 10 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]