Steven Pruitt

Steven Pruitt (born April 17, 1984), known online as Ser Amantio di Nicolao, is an American Wikipedia editor and administrator with the largest number of edits made to the English Wikipedia, at over 6 million, having made at least one edit to one-third of all articles in the edition. Pruitt first began editing Wikipedia in 2004. He has also created more than 33,000 Wikipedia articles. Pruitt was named as one of the 25 most important influencers on the Internet by Time magazine in 2017.

Pruitt's pseudonym is a reference to a minor character in Giacomo Puccini's 1918 opera Gianni Schicchi.[1] He has stated that he aims to fight gender bias on Wikipedia, promoting the inclusion of women via the Women in Red project.

Early life

Pruitt was born on April 17, 1984, in San Antonio, Texas, the only child of Alla Pruitt, a Russian Jewish immigrant, and Donald Pruitt of Richmond, Virginia.[2] His mother emigrated from the Soviet Union following the loosening of the policy on Jewish migration under Leonid Brezhnev, while his father worked as a college professor in Virginia.

Wikipedia editing

Pruitt began editing Wikipedia in June 2004.[2][1][4] His first Wikipedia article was about his great-great-grandfather,[7] Peter Francisco, a Portuguese-born American Revolutionary War hero known as the "Virginia Hercules".[5][8] His favorite article to work on is for the Pohick Church in Virginia.[8] He created his current account in January 2006 while a senior at the College of William & Mary.[2] Prior to creating his current account, he had edited under several accounts for which he kept forgetting the password.[2] Being unemployed during the 2008 financial crisis, Pruitt spent hours editing. This activity sometimes prevented him from getting job interviews when potential interviewers confused the site with Julian Assange's WikiLeaks. In 2015, he surpassed editor Justin Knapp for the most edits. The same year, he became an administrator.[8] By February 2019, Pruitt had made over three million edits to Wikipedia, more than any other editor on the English Wikipedia, and he made over four million edits by February 2021.[1] Pruitt has also created more than 33,000 Wikipedia articles, the seventh-highest tally out of any Wikipedia editor.[2] He normally uses an automated tool, AutoWikiBrowser, for editing.[9] According to Northern Virginia Magazine:

"Pruitt has not literally pressed the 'edit' button 4.4 million times. One method he has used to achieve his astonishing numbers is a software tool that allows a user to make numerous identical edits simultaneously. For example, he could italicize every mention of Northern Virginia magazine across Wikipedia where it currently appears in standard font. Yet it is claimed he has not 'cheated' his way to the top spot, since that software is also available to others.[2]"

As a contributing member of the Women in Red WikiProject,[8] his Wikipedia edits have included creating articles on more than 600 women, in order to counter the site's gender gap.[5] Even though the majority of his work is done alone,[3] he is also a member of the WikiProject for Virginia. Pruitt identifies as an inclusionist, preferring to retain articles instead of deletion.[8] He also considers himself a WikiGnome, a type of editor that makes small, behind-the-scenes edits.[10] Pruitt spends between three[3] and four hours daily editing, with more on the weekends.

Interviews

Pruitt was featured on CBS This Morning in January 2019. In the interview, Pruitt described the first article he worked on about Francisco,[5] as well as his commitment to help boost Wikipedia's coverage of notable women.[13]

Pruitt's focus on female artists, composers, and historical figures reflects his interest in shedding light on lesser-known and often overlooked subjects. He has actively contributed to addressing the gender gap on Wikipedia, recognizing that the representation of biographical articles about women has seen growth, from around 14% to the current figure of nearly 18%, due in part to his efforts and the creation of initiatives such as the Women in Red project. He mentioned this in one of his interviews.[14]

alt	Steven Pruitt in 2022. He is a middle-aged man with dark blond hair wearing an orange collar shirt.
birth date	April 17, 1984
birth place	San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
education	College of William & Mary (BA)
years active	2004–present
known for	Most edits on English Wikipedia
honors	Time's "The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet" (2017)

Early life

Career

Wikipedia editing

Interviews

Personal life

Distinctions

See also

External links

References