The monitoring, commissioned partially by the federal police and conducted as part of It involved the analysis of approximately 500 pages, which included around 5,000 pieces of content. Commenting on the results that emerged, Adriano Fabris - Professor at FTL and Director of the ReTe Institute - observed that "The Ticino infosphere is quite diverse, with a strong representation of various religions on popular social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. From a quantitative perspective, considering the age of the individuals most involved in the study, we found that Instagram and Facebook are used more frequently than TikTok. Additionally, there is a prevalence of peer-to-peer, horizontal interactions typical of communities, rather than the vertical engagement characteristic of social networks like X. We observed a significant exchange of information and a vibrant community life."
Regarding the risk of radicalisation in and of the network, "the data is quite comforting," continued Adriano Fabris, "in that the material is public and the interactions take place mostly in Italian, but above all, the sensitive facts are very little commented on. This means that what interests people on these sites is the cohesion of the community and the exchange of religious experience." Another interesting fact to highlight is that dialogue between different communities is limited: users primarily interact with members of their community, perhaps also due to the structure of social networks.
30.5% of the analysed content pertains to the Catholic community, followed closely by the Protestant, Islamic, and Orthodox communities, while the Jewish community is nearly absent. Religious sects have also been noted. Religious sects have also been intercepted: "New religions, especially those without physical locations, primarily exist and thrive online. One example is the Jedi religion, which may initially seem amusing. However, these religions fulfil a need that largely arises from the internet-a space that is, in some sense, revered and infinite and allows us to connect", explained the Director of the ReTe Institute. "The new religions and sects exhibit greater professionalism in utilising devices, with specialists seemingly involved in producing this data; however, the quantity remains quite limited," added Valerio Proserpio , a researcher at the ReTe Institute.
In the nearby peninsula and beyond, some individuals within the religious community have utilised social media to attract young followers by leveraging familiar communication methods. "In our region, there are no similar cases; however, online, there is a significant presence of all religions, both traditional and new. This phenomenon can be easily understood: today, our lives are not confined to the physical world; we also inhabit digital environments. As a result, the faithful engage in their religious experiences online as well," explained Adriano Fabris.
News and information relevant to the community are frequently shared, along with comments on current affairs, although this represents just a small part of the overall content. It was observed that images and videos comprise a significant majority, making up approximately 97% of the analysed content. Material concerning particularly sensitive topics was less than 2% of the total examined. However, it should be kept in mind that, as pointed out by Marco Menon , PhD Assistant at FTL, "private Telegram or WhatsApp groups and other communication channels that are not freely accessible to the public were not the subject of the investigation". Therefore, it cannot be excluded that specific topics are being discussed in groups that are not publicly accessible. "We have a large exchange of signs, the meanings of which are difficult for us to decipher. We want to explore in more detail to understand if some content, although quantitatively small, could conceal more complex dynamics," added Valerio Proserpio.
The importance of the mapping conducted by the ReTe Institute is twofold. First, it enables us to observe the transformation of religious experiences that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when attending physical religious services became impossible. Second, it aims to investigate the presence of any radicalisation phenomena. Researchers have consistently emphasised that such phenomena do not appear to be present. Religious phenomena characterise human experiences in different forms - said René Roux , Rector of the Faculty, at the opening of the press conference presenting the mapping results - and we realise this when we deepen our knowledge of the region and community life in its most problematic aspects". For this reason, it is important to have a precise mapping that can provide a thermometer of religious phenomena, even online.
Ticino, infosfera religiosa affollata, ma i vari gruppi non dialogano tra loro (Dario Campione, CdT)
Nei siti religiosi ticinesi pochi i riferimenti a radicalismi ed estremismi (Dario Campione, CdT)
