How you make the leap from "ignorance" to "illiteracy" -- especially when I mention the internet (where literacy would be a prerequisite) seems disingenuous. There's a lot of evidence showing that internet "siloing" exacerbates phenomena like the Dunning–Kruger effect[1][2]. I know this is a controversial opinion (especially here on HN), but I don't think Wikipedia is a net positive for society. It democratizes knowledge in the worst possible way and its bias (which ranges from the far left, to the far right -- although more often the former -- depending on the article) is obvious to anyone with a discerning eye. There's a reason you can't cite Wikipedia in college (or heck, even high school) papers.

[1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-age-of-ignorance_b_116666...

[2] https://www.thecut.com/2016/07/the-internet-isnt-making-us-d...

there's a reason, but bias isn't it, afaict

Yes, for those old enough to remember a time when research for a school project required hitting the library stacks, encyclopedias were never acceptable sources after about grade 6.