More than half of Italians are convinced that the web is a credible source of information. And there are not a few who consider it much more reliable than the newspapers. And yet, in times of crisis it is the traditional media that generate a virtuous circle of trust in institutions. A Eurobarometer research reported by writes it Lavoce.info.
How much trust in the web
The network seems to enjoy an excellent state of health in Italy in terms of reliability. At least this is what emerges from the latest Eurobarometer analysis available on the subject (Eurobarometer 82.3), which monitored public opinion in thirty-four European countries. With 58,2 per cent of citizens who consider the web as a credible source of information, Italy is in fact at the top (sixth place overall) of the European ranking of those who express trust in the web, even first among the big villages.
The figure is considerable and is almost 10 points higher than the European average (49,1 per cent), 18 points higher than Spain, 23 higher than Germany and almost 30 higher than Great Britain and France.
The degree of trust that Italians place in the web is even so high as to be significantly higher than that enjoyed by the printed press, which remains positive, but stops at 53,5 percent. What is most surprising, however, is that 17,6 percent of Italians who trust the web, but not the printed press.
The profile of those who do not trust the newspapers
But who are they? And what distinguishes them on the basis of Eurobarometer data? Mostly they are men, aged between 35 and 54, who are interested in politics and who actively discuss it. Contrary to what one might imagine, those who look to the web as the "only" medium in which to place their trust are middle-upper class citizens, who declare themselves satisfied with their life and their work, ideologically moderate and who are not necessarily Eurosceptics, at least not more than the average, nor more anti-immigrants.
The negative judgment towards the world of journalism also comes from civically active citizens who consider democracy as an important value and who, paradoxically, often read newspapers (in fact, only 6 percent say they do not).
In short, despite hoaxes and conspiracy theories (or perhaps precisely because of this?), the disintermediated information of the Internet seems to appeal even to those who seem really difficult to relegate to an "outsider" role. Something that should worry you? Maybe yes, for at least a couple of reasons.
The role of traditional media in Western democracies has always been a much-discussed topic. Although some believe that newspapers and television (often emphasizing polemical tones) can produce disaffection, the idea prevails among social scientists that the media are still able to generate a virtuous circle of trust in institutions, increasing support for the regime democracy of those civic citizens who are an integral part of the system.
This is also true, if not above all, in periods characterized by the occurrence of scandals of a political nature, such as the one we are experiencing in Italy and beyond. In particular, a recent study shows how the press, in times of crisis, also gives visibility to the point of view of the accused democratic elites. A space is thus guaranteed to reply to criticisms and the diffusion of counter-arguments allows, in certain circumstances, to counteract the general detachment on the part of citizens, to the point of restoring, in a surprising way, a higher degree of support for democracy.
On the web, on the contrary, resentment towards the institutions affected by the scandals tends to prevail. In other words, we end up giving space – unequivocally – to “negative” opinions and news which often produce a sort of “echo effect” which fuels anti-political sentiments and general disaffection (even in those who are initially disaffected and it was).
Does the greater negativity indicate that the network is in a metatheoretical sense "bad"? Not necessarily. Leaving aside any temptation of technological determinism, the data discussed here only serve to remind us how important the role journalism plays in democracies, in all its variants, including the "liquid" ones.
Understanding the reasons why almost one in five Italians no longer trusts the press, but instead trusts – at least apparently – the Internet oracle is a challenge that is by no means trivial.
