Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Turin and Milan join the Parole O_Stili campaign and stand together for #StileComune

Turin, 11 November 2019 - Chiara Appendino, Mayor of Turin and Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan signed the Manifesto of non-hostile communication today, in the setting of the Sala delle Colonne of Palazzo Civico, together with Rosy Russo, creator and founder of Parole O_Stili, thus announcing the sharing of the 10 principles and the commitment to observe them, promote them and disseminate them with the aim of combating hatred online and supporting conscious use of language, both by users and by those who hold political or institutional positions.

“The support of the institutions that work every day to defend the interests of citizens is essential to combat verbal violence on the internet – states Rosy Russo – “In fact, any confrontation must be based on the strength of ideas and not on the violence of insults and the deception of fake news. This is why the joint signature of two mayors who lead two such important cities is a very important step for the path and objectives of Parole O_stili".

Promoting all possible actions that allow building the well-being of communities, transmitting respectful values ​​and lifestyles is a value shared by the Turin and Milanese municipalities. Countering hate speech online and raising greater digital awareness is just one of the various actions that link the Piedmontese capital to the Lombardy one.

The signature is in fact the first step of a journey that begins in Turin with "Web with class", a project on digital skills and hostile languages, which sees its founding values ​​in connection, dialogue, inclusion and awareness. It is possible to stem the phenomena of cyberbullying, revenge porn, fake news, fan violence in sport and the proliferation of fake news by acting with determination in sharing warning messages on the use of the web.

Leveraging universal principles that underline the importance of respecting dignity and sensitivity, appealing to essential values, such as listening, patience, respect for the fragility of others, non-discrimination. These are not simplifications, but a very important educational act, aimed also and above all at young people (adolescents and pre-adolescents) so that they develop an awareness of the danger of casual use of social media. During the current school year, teachers, students and parents of 250 classes will focus on the second principle of the Manifesto "You are what you communicate" by analyzing the role of Instagram, the social network that best represents the concept.

"The Turin community will support with conviction the contents of the Non-Hostile Communication Manifesto, drawn up first and foremost to combat hate speech. The idea is admirable because it arises from the collective reflection of experts in communication, marketing, journalism and Internet users , bloggers and influencers to redefine the style with which we surf the web, carefully choosing expressions and thus raise greater digital awareness. Social networks, despite being virtual, represent a place where flesh-and-blood surfers meet. Real people first and foremost, whose dignity must always be respected."

In Milan, however, the representatives of the Council, often the target of trolls and haters, will participate in a short training course, contributing - personally - to giving an example of intelligent and correct use of social channels.

“Today more than ever – states the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala – it is necessary to give rules to communication and return to a more correct and respectful language in all its forms, between people face to face, as on social networks which have become the daily channel to express hatred, frustration, miseducation. A phenomenon that becomes dramatic when vulnerable individuals such as adolescents or public figures are affected while carrying out their duties or in the private sphere. It's time to counter all this starting with communication. This is why my council and I have decided to join the Parole O_Stili proposal by putting ourselves out there first, with images and words, starting from our social profiles."

There are already many politicians and institutions belonging to all sides who have signed the Manifesto, an important signal especially because according to the latest SWG findings for Parole O_stili the fear of finding fake news is growing by 13% and the risk of suffer episodes of hatred and verbal violence (bullying, defamation, denigration, etc.).

For 80% of those interviewed, false news online still represents a serious problem and for 68%, the high presence of offensive and violent attitudes online represents a new reality that must be confronted. What is virtual is real especially for generation Z (+3%) and baby boomers (+5%), less felt by millennials (-8%).

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