Umberto Echo: From Novelist to Essayist

Umberto Eco, known primarily for his novel 'The Name of the Rose,' had a diverse career as an academic, writer, and journalist. While his bestselling novel brought him fame and fortune, his true passion was exploring signs, symbols, and language. In his essay 'Thoughts on Wikileaks,' Eco examines the false promise of digital technology and the illusion of transparency. He argues that the vast volume of information available today actually reinforces existing power structures, making it harder to uncover genuine secrets and conspiracies. Echo criticizes Wikileaks' approach of indiscriminately dumping information, highlighting the need for expertise and storytelling to extract meaningful stories from the overwhelming amount of data. Ultimately, he concludes that genuine power lies in the ability to shape information and reach a wide audience, a power that remains concentrated in the hands of those who already hold power.