In a multi-speed Italy, reducing the gaps in access to essential services also means promoting digital rights and considering the internet as a citizenship infrastructure. Made in Web is a 4-episode podcast that takes us on a journey to discover stories where internet connectivity creates opportunities for territorial, economic, cultural, and social development. A journey through urban centers and rural areas, featuring four investigations into citizens and startups that have used the web to reduce inequalities and repopulate these places. Hosted by Sergio Maistrello, with journalistic contributions from Riva and Lidia Baratta.
First episode: Bread and Internet
52% of Italian municipalities are located in mountainous areas. It takes just a few kilometers to go from hyper-connected cities to peripheral communities at risk of isolation. Paolo Riva has visited valleys and mountains – from Val Trompia to Tuscany – to understand how mountain communities are adapting to the digital transition.
Second episode: Coding against inequalities
The digital divide is the new frontier of inequalities that lead to exclusion. Lidia Baratta moves between the San Siro neighborhood in Milan and Pollica, in the province of Salerno, to document two tech projects aiming to reduce digital gaps and create human capital and job opportunities for younger generations.
Third episode: what happened to South Working?
It has always been everyone’s dream, but the privilege of only a few. Then, Covid-19 arrived, and millions of workers began leaving big cities. In 2020, Milan – where rent prices and the cost of living hit harder than anywhere else in Italy – saw a significant part of its population move from the city to the countryside. With the end of the pandemic, offices have returned to full capacity, or almost. What happened to the South Working dream?
Fourth episode: News desert
News or media deserts are areas where it is difficult to access information. Digital journalism has the potential to shine a light on these forgotten territories, neglected by the media.
