Social and environmental communication at Turin’s Salone del Libro

by Silvia Musso

The Second Report on Social Communication, edited by Carocci and realised by Ces.Cos, will be presented on Friday May 13th at 7.30 p.m. in the Salone Internazionale del Libro (International Book Fair) in Turin.

It is a book that deepens the understanding of a phenomenon that has an increasingly important economic and social development. Its objectives are firstly to update the framework of knowledge and studies in recent years on the issue, to explore new languages and, finally, to open to new fields that in recent years have become increasingly important from the point of view of social communication, i.e. health and the environment.

«The report has a national scope - say the editors - but arises from the experience so far unpublished that is born and lives in Turin, city that again confirms its social vocation, reflects, invents and anticipates the future of the community. Five years after the first, the Second Report on Social Communication in Italy, opened to scholars and heterogeneous contributions, that sometimes express divergent points of view, as well as update the framework provided in the previous edition, with the inclusion of new data and recent studies, wants to become a tool to deepen a shifting field, characterized by uncertain boundaries, to which we must approach without deterministic interpretative schemes».

The book is divided into four parts, one of essays and analysis, which includes recent studies and reflections, the second and third respectively covering the social communication on health and environment, two focuses dedicated on issues currently considered to be of importance and urgency in this field, and the fourth, finally, which collects interviews with scholars and practitioners.

Of particular interest is the chapter dedicated to environmental communication edited by Roberto Cavallo, President of AICA, who says: «Among the various aspects of social communication, the environmental one has taken, in recent years, a prominent role in Italy. Although it is not yet possible to classify in specific terms the various aspects of environmental communication, some people have begun to treat it in a strictly way, as AICA is doing. While it is not yet possible to give close and clear definitions, you can try to make some simplifications that allow an easier exposure treatments.Today, who does environmental communication? With what code? For what target? By what means? Almost all do it, the institutions at various levels, enterprises, associations, NGOs, etc. ... This generalization of environmental communication is mainly due to subjective interpretation of the concept "Environment" itself, which, while remaining faithful to the etymology of the word, is precisely what is around».

We recommend to read this report and this chapter in particular where you can find useful insights both theoretical about the concepts of source, message, feedback, and practical on how to communicate the recycling and waste prevention.

During the fair, the text is available for purchase both at the stand of the publisher Carocci, as well as of RAI, which has sponsored the publication. From next week it will be available in all specialized libraries.

In collaboration with the Agency Armando Testa, finally, the most significant social communication campaigns carried out in recent years in Italy have beeb were selected and made available on www.occs.it.