This text tells the story of cyber/verso's cultural origins and the reflection the project grew from. It is kept here as it was written, as a record of where this space comes from. For a description of the publication today, see the About page.
Dear readers, with this text I intend to explain the history and meaning of the name of this space, "CyberVerso", so that the roots of this project and the path I wished to take from them are clear.
The Digital Awakening of a Generation
My generation (the first generation of so-called "digital natives") came of age in a world that was experiencing (in some ways "suffering") some radical changes on a social, political and economic level. The beginning of the millennium was a moment of collective awakening and a rediscovery of social activism with new and broader "global" horizons. We were, in fact, the generation that grew up in the shadow of the "disillusionment" that the great ideologies of the last century had left in previous generations, disappointed with unfulfilled promises, even by the traditional political parties inspired by those ideologies. All of this contributed to making our future uncertain, making us perceive the fragility and ineffectiveness of the forms of collective action already experienced, precisely at a time when the predominant economic models were demonstrating all their limits and contradictions. In this context of growing marginalisation, the Internet and technology were interpreted not only as tools to liberate information and knowledge, but also as a way to free ourselves from isolation, to meet new people and create communities with which to try to build a sustainable future and a more equitable and inclusive society.
However, even this, unfortunately, would soon prove to be an illusion — a reflection I will have the opportunity to return to at a later time.
Digital Spaces as Arenas for the Community
The beginning of the millennium, as I said, was a season deeply influenced by hacker culture and pioneering groups such as Cult of the Dead Cow, L0pht Heavy Industries, the Chaos Computer Club and, in Italy, by the lively national hacker community — ECN, A/I — which met every year at the hackmeetings. They were more than just technology enthusiasts: these collectives and movements represented the spirit of activism and community building that defined our generation. The early 2000s, in fact, saw the emergence, on the one hand, of social movements that sought to address fundamental issues for the future of society — the climate emergency, mass migration, taxation on financial transactions, the right to health and drug patents, public water, agriculture and food sovereignty — and, on the other, of new digital communication tools and platforms that redefined the relationship between technology, politics and activism. These movements, despite their limitations, demonstrated how it was possible to use the network to educate, agitate and organise for common goals. They showed how the digital world could serve as a platform for the relaunch of political discourse and the transformation of society.
Cyber: Embracing the Digital Revolution
While these are the most recent roots, it should be emphasised that the term "cyber" goes back to the Greek word "κυβερνήτης" (kybernētēs), meaning "helmsman" or "governor". It first appeared in the context of technology in the field of cybernetics, coined by the mathematician Norbert Wiener in the 1940s to describe the study of control and communication in animals and machines. Evolving over the decades, "cyber" became synonymous with computer technology and hacker counterculture, especially through cyberpunk literature: William Gibson's novel "Neuromancer" popularised the term "cyberspace" in the 1980s.
The "Cyber" in "CyberVerso" is a reference to this context of change and to the Italian-style hacker culture that shaped my formation and that of my generation. The term encapsulates the fusion of technology and activism, echoing the way hacker collectives and digital movements provided us with new avenues for expression, connection and change. For me, it symbolises the transition from isolation to community, from silence to voice, in the digital realm.
Verso: Expanding the Vision and Reach
The suffix "Verso", suggesting "universe", represents the broad scope of this space's dialogue and aspirations. In "CyberVerso" I see technology as a means to achieve social goals, reflecting the spirit of a generation determined to leverage digital advancements for political activism, social justice and community building. This space is dedicated to exploring the ways in which technology intersects with economics, politics and society, with the ambition of contributing to a more equitable and inclusive future.
CyberVerso: A Convergence of Technology, Community and Hope
So "CyberVerso" is much more than the name of a website. It aims to embody the journey of a generation that used technology to break isolation and build communities. It combines our early digital experiences, shaped by technological innovation and a unique political landscape, with my mission to leverage technology for social change.
Why write? The Political Perspective
For this reason, "CyberVerso" will have an eminently political perspective.
The central issues concerning technological innovation and the digital transformation of society are intertwined with the crucial issues that have been blocking our country for decades, stifling its development precisely to the detriment of future generations, who face increasingly high levels of economic and social injustice. These issues must therefore be addressed with a clear stance and a change of perspective, starting again from a few central and decisive themes to be placed at the base of a new social pact — work, development, ecology and the fight against inequality — and measuring the impact of technological innovations against them.
In this way, I believe it is possible to contribute, however small or large the contribution may be, to the construction of a new culture of technology and of the digital transformation of society: an alternative to a dominant culture that is, on these issues, flattened onto outdated and stale positions — often polarised around the "fear of the new" and of the irreversible changes it may entail, countered only by an uncritical exaltation of individual innovations or transformative processes, presented as positive in themselves and inevitable in their concrete expression, without any reflection on the different possibilities they open up or any will to govern the process of change, orienting it towards the construction of a more equitable and just society.