The communication of wine inexorably follows fashion and trends of time. Once,
just like any other type of information, the most common media was the so called
press, then it came the radio, therefore the television and now Internet.
Despite still today press and television are considered as the most reliable and
authoritative media, many professionals into information are realizing it is
Internet the media to take giant steps. Wine is no exception in this, despite
there are still many producers and professionals who consider it as a secondary
media, a sort of son of a lesser god. Of course they are people who live in
an antiquate world and who like to keep their eyes well closed, reluctant to
progress and to the evidence of facts. Indeed, the information on Internet is
also victim of other prejudices: for many it is the media of false
information and scarcely reliable - an untrustworthy tool where only
frivolous information can be spread - while recognizing to the press and
television the highest level of authority.
Internet is frequently accused of hosting everyone, in this sense it is the
most impeccable expression of democracy: everyone has the right of citizenship
and freedom to express his or her opinion, from consumers to experts. For the
sake of truth - it should be said - this can be done provided there are proper
technological conditions, a possibility which is still denied to many countries
of the world. Maybe the annoying fact about Internet is it cannot be controlled
(and miserable is the one who tries to control the expression of others with
abuse and injustice) and therefore everyone can freely express his or her point
of view. This freedom is frequently considered as determinant in order to
tell who is a professional of information - and therefore reliable - and who is
not. This would prove the fact that writing for the press or appearing in
television is a guarantee of reliability and of authoritativeness. Facts
obviously deny this sort of privilege: who has never read or listened to false
news - or even idiot, with no real or logic sense - in the press or in
television?
It is the fact Internet is less controllable - and whoever can let others knows
his or her opinion in few seconds - makes it a more reliable and credible media
to the eyes of consumers and common people. Of course, in Internet can
be read so many idiot and non sense things. And the same can be read in
newspapers or can be heard on television or radio. This proves, as a simple
matter of fact, all communication media - despite the way of spreading - are all
the same, each having advantages and disadvantages. It is however undeniable
Internet has evident advantages over traditional communication media. Its
efficiency in spreading a news or an opinion in few seconds all over the world
has no rivals. There are so many cases in which news - even important ones -
have been quickly spread on the Internet, therefore contributing to promptly
adopt proper measures. We should think, for example, to the many natural
catastrophes: the world knew about it in advance before the same news was spread
by newspapers or television.
The advantages of Internet are not only expressed by its timeliness in
communication. In the net are also created communities of people - who
frequently become real by breaking the hypocrite virtual barrier - exchanging
opinions, organizing meetings, trying to know more. There are many wine
producers who understood the importance of Internet in communicating to their
clients: they use it to promote their wines, to communicate their productive and
promotional activity, to know what consumers think about their products. For the
sake of truth, there also are many producers who are very contrary to this new
media, considered as scarcely reliable and not serious. These producers, who
think it is more credible and serious to see something written in a piece of
paper instead in a screen, probably avoid Internet for the fact they cannot
control the information the way they like. The problem is that the ones really
interested in knowing something, as soon as they hear about something, they
verify it with the tools they have at hand and Internet certainly is among the
most effective ones.
In this regard, Internet looks like the main square of a town of some
tens of years ago, where all the people gathered and exchanged opinions, while
socializing and debating at the same time. Of course, the difference was that in
a square relationships were real and honest: in Internet they are not the same,
everyone is strong of a certain form of anonymity which can also be guaranteed,
as long as the members voluntarily decide to remain isolated. Contrary to others
phenomena created on the Internet, in the world of wine this behavior tends to
happen less frequently, as virtual communities of the net sometimes
organize events where they meet up for real in front of a glass of wine. This
probably is a need caused by the fact wine - just like food - does not belong to
the virtual world, it is real. Wine, in order to be really understood, must not
be read or confined to thoughts and words: it must be tasted. On this principle
and spirit are also based the events organized by our magazine - exclusively
published on the Internet since 2002, the year of its founding - a way to let
our readers know what has been reviewed in our magazine and in our Guide.
The possibility of interacting and answering to everyone spreading a news or
communicating an opinion, requires a higher sense of responsibility about what
has been written and on its truthfulness: whoever writes false news or non
reliable things, is promptly denied and accused of lying by others. And this is
the expression of the reliability of Internet, despite the ones who believe the
net is not reliable or credible. Detractors of the net fear the limited
possibility they have in controlling Internet, therefore it is not a good media
for the smart ones who like spreading false and misleading news, even
worse, for their own ignoble interest. Internet certainly is the future of
information: this has been understood by many important and historical
newspapers of the world which are moving towards the net. And there are also
many who believe they will exclusively publish on the Internet in the near
future, while abandoning the press, therefore safeguarding trees and woods from
which come the cellulose used for the production of paper. Internet is more and
more a place of exchange and communication, and wine is no exception. Let's hope
this will be understood also by those skeptical and conservative producers, for
their own good and of their consumers. By the way, DiWineTaste is also on
Twitter at the address
http://www.twitter.com/diwinetaste.
A new way for keeping in touch with our readers and to exchange opinions.
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