---
title: "Media"
sousTitre: "An Italian term designating the written word as a tool of knowledge, though Calvino detects a ruse: that same writing becomes the instrument of an invisible power. The map reveals this diversion is not isolated—other languages conceal control beneath the same euphemism."
description: "The Italian *strumento d’informazione*, repurposed to euphemize control through dominant writing (nature: power’s euphemization; object: writing as a tool of domination). Attested in French (*médias*), with Italo Calvino (*Una pietra sopra*) as its anchor. An ethno-politico-linguistic intersection sourced in each language."
date: 2026-09-08
lang: en
tradition: transversal
auteurs: ["Italo Calvino", "Éric Hazan"]
---
# Media

A tool of information: the phrase carries the ring of a promise. In Italian, it first evokes something neutral, almost technical—a means of conveying knowledge to those who lack it. Yet Calvino discerns something more unsettling: what presents itself as a mere *tool* is, in fact, a lever of power. The diversion lies not in the word itself, but in its use, turning writing into a mechanism of control. The map that follows shows this ambiguity is not unique to Italy.

## The Meaning Beneath the Word
Etymologically, *strumento* traces back to the Latin *instrumentum*, denoting what serves to equip or furnish. The term carries no inherently pejorative connotation; it simply refers to a means, a support. *Informazione*, for its part, stems from the Latin *informatio* (the act of shaping, of giving form), with no direct link to power. Yet the moment these two words combine, they harbor a tension: the tool can enlighten just as easily as it can constrain.

## The Genealogy of the Shift
In *Una pietra sopra*, Calvino observes how the written word, in Manzoni’s work, splits in two. It is both *strumento d’informazione*—what informs—and *strumento di potere*—what subjugates. The shift occurs through euphemism: by presenting writing as a mere vehicle of knowledge, its function as domination is obscured. The following quote lays it bare:

> In Renzo and Lucia’s world, the written word wears a double face: an instrument of power and an instrument of information.
>
> — **Italo Calvino**, *Una pietra sopra (L'antilingua)*, livre Una pietra sopra. éd. after the French translation by Martin Rueff, Gallimard.

What strikes here is the duplicity of the gesture. Writing is not merely a means of conveying facts; it is also a filter, a frame that imposes a version of the world. Power does not declare itself as such—it dons the garb of objectivity, of neutrality. The euphemism acts as a veil: under the guise of informing, it controls.

## The Same Veil, Across Languages
This mechanism is not an Italian peculiarity. Other languages, other cultures, have forged words that conceal the same reality beneath similar appearances. The table below maps them:

In French, the word *médias* plays a similar role. Originally, it designates the means of dissemination—press, radio, television. Yet, as Éric Hazan demonstrates in *LQR*, the term becomes a euphemism for a system of control through writing and image. The following quote confirms it:

> The government itself, whether through the media or directly, seeks to promote the idea of a civil society that would counterbalance it.
>
> — **Éric Hazan**, *LQR. La propagande du quotidien*, livre LQR. La propagande du quotidien. éd. after the original French edition, Raisons d'agir, 2006.

Here again, power hides behind a technical function. *Media* are not merely channels; they are devices that shape representations, steer opinions, and, in doing so, exert an invisible grip. The nature of the diversion is identical: euphemize to dominate better.

## The Tool and Its Shadow
The phrase *strumento d’informazione* carries a question: when does the tool become a weapon? The answer lies not in the word itself, but in how it is used. Calvino urges us to look beyond appearances—where writing, under the pretense of serving, can also enslave. The map of languages proves it: this diversion is a transversal gesture, a ruse that crosses borders. The question remains: who, today, wields the tool—and to what end?

## Sources

- Italo Calvino, *Una pietra sopra (L'antilingua)* — Einaudi
- Éric Hazan, *LQR. La propagande du quotidien* — Raisons d'agir, 2006


Canonical source : https://viasophia.org/en/devoiler/2026-09-08-strumento-informazione/