Mafie &
Social Media:

Mafias & Social Media: Mafia Communication in the Age of Social Networks is the latest communication campaign by Giosef Italy.
With the support of the Fondazione Progetto Legalità ONLUS in memory of Paolo Borsellino and all other victims of the mafia
– an initiative by the National Association of Magistrates of Palermo – we have created a series of video interviews focused on the evolution of mafia communication in the social media era.

Mafiosi are increasingly turning to the internet, they are present on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and have decided to occupy this open space for all, despite the intrinsic oxymoron with the “secrecy” of the criminal organizations to which they belong.
“If the old rules were still in place, mafiosi wouldn’t even have approached these new means of communication, which leave indelible traces that cannot be erased. On their profiles, or those of their relatives or trusted friends, you can read daily ideas, thoughts, ways of speaking, expressions of joy, anger, or hate, desires, aspirations, coded messages, veiled threats, reprimands, invectives, double meanings:
there is a world coming to light, and it’s good to observe it carefully.”
[Enzo Ciconte, From Omertà to Social Networks: How Mafia Communication is Changing, Edizioni Santa Caterina]

How has mafia communication evolved over the years?
What cultural processes underlie the adaptation of mafias to modern communication systems?
Who are the mafias online? Which channels do they use? What do they communicate and to whom?
What are the risks of their online presence for social media users?
How aware are people of this phenomenon?
Are there journalistic investigations, inquiries, or trials based on criminal activities found on social media?
What tools have the police and judiciary implemented to counteract this phenomenon?
How to create effective counter-narratives to address the problem?
How to adapt data analysis science to investigations against crime bosses?
Beyond trials and penalties, what are the concrete tools available to civil society to combat mafias in 2021?

These questions serve as the starting point for our series of interviews. We reached out to a panel of mafia experts who, week after week, will analyze the phenomenon from different perspectives, aiming to provide the most comprehensive picture of the issue possible. Journalists, university professors, representatives of associations, as well as judges and police officers. Different viewpoints, but a shared common goal: to fight the mafias, stop their criminal messages, and equip citizens with the necessary tools to defend themselves.

We chose the month of May for this project because we believe that the sacrifice of journalists, judges, police officers, and all those who have lost their lives fighting the mafias should be honored with concrete and practical actions. Doctor Giovanni Falcone used to say that the mafia is a “human phenomenon,” and as such, it can be understood and studied with the intent to break free from a pattern that constantly frames it in stereotypes and repetitive rhetoric.