In recent months, the electorate and political professionals, starting with the media, have found themselves faced not only with an examination of the candidates' strategies but also, inevitably, with wondering about the evolution of today's political activity compared to the past.
However, setting aside easy preconceptions, while adapting to the evolution of the electoral narrative and above all of the forms of communication imposed by digital information vectors, even today politics in form and substance confirms its fidelity to the ideological assumptions as well as continuing to reflect the social orientations of the sovereign people: uncertainties, anxieties, strengths and weaknesses included. We talked about it with Daniele Piazza, RSI correspondent from the Federal Palace for 37 years, and still today among the most authoritative interpreters of national politics.
Would traditional, non-digitized politics be able to handle the complexities of the global world?
No, that's no longer possible. The underlying, ideological values remain confirmed. But it is now equally necessary to know how to use social media not only for electoral narrative, but also to summarize information of political relevance from the current information universe, which has now become globalised. This evolution today complicates the politician's achievement of a synthetic vision of social problems. Even within parliamentary groups, in addition to specialization on specific topics, it remains necessary to rely on a project leader who delves into the issues and explains them to those colleagues who lack sector skills.
Even journalists cannot escape these updates. More than what happened to me in the past, today the political press, while maintaining a direct relationship with elected officials, finds itself forced to continuously update itself on online platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter) which are now indispensable for intercepting and reporting any contrary opinions. It is impossible to escape these evolutions.
Today the world no longer seems to be confined to opposing ideological blocs: has digitalisation also globalized politics?
Digitalization has amplified sources of information. But, as in the past, today too it is essential to know how to disentangle all the sources and infinite information available. There is also the risk of relying too much on statistical data. They are useful, but they must not limit the duty to delve into and above all report the context surrounding political news. To be able to interpret the latter, and equally report it effectively.
Is political action motivated by ideologies still possible when social complexities are motivated by concrete needs? Today, what is the point of contact between political thought and action?
A distinction needs to be made. To limit the problems it is necessary to rely on factual data. However, even today for politicians, ideology retains its guiding role in interpreting reality and therefore communicating it to the public. Balancing these elements is an exercise left to the correctness of the individual, sometimes called into a complicated coexistence between interests of various origins: political, economic, or more simply electoral. From this perspective, Parliament today also reflects the various social sensitivities, in all their nuances. In any case, as in normal relationships between people, I can confirm that even in Bern, it is always human qualities that make the difference in the actions of the individual candidate. In my almost forty years of profession I have happened to see politicians who prioritized personal objectives over competence. But, despite carrying diametrically opposed ideologies, I also met honest and correct politicians in the capital.
We close with a question aimed at the future: how can the young generations be interested in the political message?
It is an interpretation that I have heard proposed frequently, and which however we must learn to overcome. Even in the past it was said that young people were not interested in politics. Personally I disagree: even in federal politics today we have many young people in influential positions. In all sides, starting from the progressive area. Perhaps thanks to social media, to digital communication platforms, I believe that compared to the past, young people in politics today are not only more present but also far from insensitive or indifferent to parliamentary dialogue.
