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.

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:

Langue	Forme du mot	Attestation
French	médias	●
English	media	○
German	Informationsinstrument	○
Spanish	medio de comunicación	○
Italian	strumento d’informazione	●
Russian	средство массовой информации sredstvo massovoy informatsii	○
Turkish	bilgi aracı	○
Chinese	舆论工具 yúlùn gōngjù	○

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.

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?