- Communication, Social Media, Social Networking, Internet Studies, Digital Divide, Social Sciences, and 32 moreCultural Studies, Critical Theory, Culture, New Media, Innovation statistics, Journalism, Digital Media, Media, Internet & Society, Media Studies, Internet Culture, Crisis Communication, Natural Disasters, Social Network Analysis (SNA), Digital Literacy, Twitter, Audience Studies, Social Movement, Locative Media, Big Data, Media and Cultural Studies, Humanities, Online Journalism, Social Media and Collaborative Technologies, Earthquakes, Audience and Reception Studies, Netnography, Visual Culture, Science and Technology Studies, Facebook, Public Relations & Social Media, and Virtual Communities(Cultural Studies, Critical Theory, Culture, New Media, Innovation statistics, Journalism, Digital Media, Media, Internet & Society, Media Studies, Internet Culture, Crisis Communication, Natural Disasters, Social Network Analysis (SNA), Digital Literacy, Twitter, Audience Studies, Social Movement, Locative Media, Big Data, Media and Cultural Studies, Humanities, Online Journalism, Social Media and Collaborative Technologies, Earthquakes, Audience and Reception Studies, Netnography, Visual Culture, Science and Technology Studies, Facebook, Public Relations & Social Media, and Virtual Communities)edit
The recent popularity of Social Network Sites (SNS) shows that there is a growing interest in articulating, making visible, and managing personal or professional relationships through technology-enabled environments. Networked... more
The recent popularity of Social Network Sites (SNS) shows that there is a growing interest in articulating, making visible, and managing personal or professional relationships through technology-enabled environments.
Networked Sociability and Individualism: Technology for Personal and Professional Relationships provides a multidisciplinary framework for analyzing the new forms of sociability enabled by digital media and networks. This book focuses on a variety of social media and computer-mediated communication environments with the aim of identifying and understanding different types of social behavior and identity expression.
Networked Sociability and Individualism: Technology for Personal and Professional Relationships provides a multidisciplinary framework for analyzing the new forms of sociability enabled by digital media and networks. This book focuses on a variety of social media and computer-mediated communication environments with the aim of identifying and understanding different types of social behavior and identity expression.
... Related Titles. Library and Information Science in Developing Countries,Library and Information Science in Developing Coun... ©2012, 1pp. Cases on Developing Countries and ICT Integration, Cases ...
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Social television, cerimonie mediali online, comunità di pratica che si formano su Internet attorno a politica, lavoro, educazione, informazione e intrattenimento sono alcuni dei luoghi e delle forme che il volume analizza. La sfida è... more
Social television, cerimonie mediali online, comunità di pratica che si formano su Internet attorno a politica, lavoro, educazione, informazione e intrattenimento sono alcuni dei luoghi e delle forme che il volume analizza.
La sfida è però più radicale e profonda e ha a che fare con gli approcci metodologici che rendono possibile osservare e interpretare la realtà che scorre tra vita sociale e Rete. Dal contributo delle scienze sociali computazionali e degli Internet Studies a quello della sociologia visuale applicata ai Social Network, gli autori mostrano come sia possibile oggi innovare la ricerca sociale e tentare di dischiudere gli effetti sociali del web.
Rivolto a chi voglia capire la trasformazione in atto nel mondo della ricerca e della formazione, il volume è un valido strumento anche per quei professionisti che lavorano nella realtà televisiva e dei media audiovisivi così come nell’ambito dei consumi.
La sfida è però più radicale e profonda e ha a che fare con gli approcci metodologici che rendono possibile osservare e interpretare la realtà che scorre tra vita sociale e Rete. Dal contributo delle scienze sociali computazionali e degli Internet Studies a quello della sociologia visuale applicata ai Social Network, gli autori mostrano come sia possibile oggi innovare la ricerca sociale e tentare di dischiudere gli effetti sociali del web.
Rivolto a chi voglia capire la trasformazione in atto nel mondo della ricerca e della formazione, il volume è un valido strumento anche per quei professionisti che lavorano nella realtà televisiva e dei media audiovisivi così come nell’ambito dei consumi.
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Social media have proven to be useful resources for spreading verified information during natural disasters. Nevertheless, little attention has hitherto been devoted to the peculiarities of constructing effective tweets (and tweet... more
Social media have proven to be useful resources for spreading verified information during natural disasters. Nevertheless, little attention has hitherto been devoted to the peculiarities of constructing effective tweets (and tweet formats), or to common users’ comprehension of tweets conveying scientific information. In this paper, social scientists and seismologists collaborated in order to elaborate and test a standardized tweet structure to be used during earthquakes, expanding on the results of a quali-quantitative research project. The tweet format is specifically designed to launch an innovative information service by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV): tweeting the automatic detection of earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 3. This paper illustrates the steps of the research process that led to elaborating a tweet format that will be used in the next few months by the official Twitter account @INGVterremoti.
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The goal of this article is to build a conceptual framework for understanding the role of social media in the so-called ‘Arab Spring’, considering two different disciplinary perspectives: International Relations and Internet Studies. More... more
The goal of this article is to build a conceptual framework for understanding the role of social media in the so-called ‘Arab Spring’, considering two different disciplinary perspectives: International Relations and Internet Studies. More specifically, it relies on literature on Middle Eastern political systems and on social network sites. It also refers to literature that examines the relationship between (social) media engagement and civic engagement. Building on this foundation, the article analyses the main attempts to evaluate the ‘impact’ of social media on the ‘Arab Spring’ from specific perspectives. Commentators have tended to adopt a dichotomous vision of the topic, either emphasizing the ‘revolutionary’ role of social media or totally minimizing its role; this article defines them as digital evangelists and techno-realists respectively. In order to prove their point of view, both sides focus on the same issues. The study critically analyses the main issues, discussing how they have been interpreted by both digital evangelists and techno-realists. Through a multidisciplinary framework, it proposes a more nuanced picture of the relationship between the social media and the ‘Arab Spring’.
Obiettivo di questo articolo è ragionare sul rapporto tra consumo mediale, uso dei social media e definizione del senso di appartenenza sociale e partecipazione culturale dei soggetti alla vita quotidiana. In particolare, oggetto del... more
Obiettivo di questo articolo è ragionare sul rapporto tra consumo mediale, uso dei social media e definizione del senso di appartenenza sociale e partecipazione culturale dei soggetti alla vita quotidiana.
In particolare, oggetto del nostro lavoro sono le pratiche partecipative messe in campo dagli utenti dei social media (e, in particolare, di Twitter) a ridosso di Vieni via con me, un programma televisivo andato in onda sulla Rai nel mese di novembre 2010, condotto da Fabio Fazio e Roberto Saviano. Il programma è stato recepito come un'occasione di riflessione politica, con forti connotazioni anti governative, al punto che la sua stessa fruizione è stata interpretata, da molti degli spettatori attivi sui social media, come un momento di civic engagement. (765)
Abstract
The goal of our paper is to analyze the relations between media consumption, social media usage and civic engagement. More specifically, we will focus on a specific italian tv show, “Vieni via con me”, in order to examine the relations between broadcast media reception and participatory cultures, questioning to what extent social media can foster people's sense of cultural belonging. The show has been broadcasted by italian public service television (Rai) in november 2010.
Among our research results, we can mention a deeper understanding of cross-platform reception practices; a better insight into the relations between media consumption and civic engagement; an explanation of the emergence of participatory culture practices
In particolare, oggetto del nostro lavoro sono le pratiche partecipative messe in campo dagli utenti dei social media (e, in particolare, di Twitter) a ridosso di Vieni via con me, un programma televisivo andato in onda sulla Rai nel mese di novembre 2010, condotto da Fabio Fazio e Roberto Saviano. Il programma è stato recepito come un'occasione di riflessione politica, con forti connotazioni anti governative, al punto che la sua stessa fruizione è stata interpretata, da molti degli spettatori attivi sui social media, come un momento di civic engagement. (765)
Abstract
The goal of our paper is to analyze the relations between media consumption, social media usage and civic engagement. More specifically, we will focus on a specific italian tv show, “Vieni via con me”, in order to examine the relations between broadcast media reception and participatory cultures, questioning to what extent social media can foster people's sense of cultural belonging. The show has been broadcasted by italian public service television (Rai) in november 2010.
Among our research results, we can mention a deeper understanding of cross-platform reception practices; a better insight into the relations between media consumption and civic engagement; an explanation of the emergence of participatory culture practices
Research Interests:
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The aim of this chapter is to build a conceptual framework for analysing the role of social media in major crises, with special regard to emergency response, from a scholarly research point of view. Existing literature has hitherto... more
The aim of this chapter is to build a conceptual framework for analysing the role of social media in major crises, with special regard to emergency response, from a scholarly research point of view. Existing literature has hitherto addressed the topic aiming at contributing both to public policies in emergency situations and to scholarly research. Social media have served as a powerful tool for emergency management and disaster relief in many recent emergency situations, in particular natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. (Shklovski, et al., 2010) and the Queensland floods in Australia (Bruns, et al., 2012), to major earthquakes worldwide. The huge number of messages and interactions generated on social media during emergencies, moreover, constitute an unprecedented source for understanding the specific communication patterns taking place on social media, with regard to information spread and influence dynamics.
Many different disciplines, ranging from social sciences to computer science, have dealt with this subject. In this chapter we will adopt a social science perspective, mainly building on the theoretical frameworks and the methodological concerns that have been developed in the field of Internet Studies. After introducing the perspective of Internet Studies on technology mediated communication and social media, we will analyse the role of social media in emergency response, mainly focusing on information spread dynamics, on the perspective of emergency services and institutions, and on citizens activities beyond information spread. We will conclude by providing some conceptual and methodological remarks
Many different disciplines, ranging from social sciences to computer science, have dealt with this subject. In this chapter we will adopt a social science perspective, mainly building on the theoretical frameworks and the methodological concerns that have been developed in the field of Internet Studies. After introducing the perspective of Internet Studies on technology mediated communication and social media, we will analyse the role of social media in emergency response, mainly focusing on information spread dynamics, on the perspective of emergency services and institutions, and on citizens activities beyond information spread. We will conclude by providing some conceptual and methodological remarks
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Il mondo nuovo della società dell'informazione (come definita, innanzitutto, da Castells 1996; 2001; 2004) offre inedite opportunità agli individui, alle aziende, alle nazioni. Tuttavia, la rapida evoluzione delle tecnologie digitali pone... more
Il mondo nuovo della società dell'informazione (come definita, innanzitutto, da Castells 1996; 2001; 2004) offre inedite opportunità agli individui, alle aziende, alle nazioni. Tuttavia, la rapida evoluzione delle tecnologie digitali pone nuove sfide alle nostre società. Se le tecnologie digitali possono rappresentare uno straordinario strumento di inclusione e di crescita, sul piano sociale ed economico, il digital divide costituisce una linea di demarcazione in grado di tracciare nuove forme di esclusione.
This study builds on existing work on cartographic thinking in everyday life to better understand how digital and/or traditional media influence our perceptions of continental scale geography. Using a mixed, US-Italian sample of college... more
This study builds on existing work on cartographic thinking in everyday life to better understand how digital and/or traditional media influence our perceptions of continental scale geography. Using a mixed, US-Italian sample of college students living in cities on similar latitudes, we found that there is a bias in placing U.S. cities further north and European cities further south than where they should be. Such biases reflect a process of ‘plausible reasoning,’ which assumes that places are located cartographically in a biased way due to cultural-cognitive processes facilitated by media. The specific media found to be related with such biases in this study and directions for future research are discussed.
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Existing literature on technology-mediated social relations, and especially on social network sites (SNS), has mainly adopted a platform-centric approach. For a better understanding of technology-supported social relations, however, an... more
Existing literature on technology-mediated social relations, and especially on social network sites (SNS), has mainly adopted a platform-centric approach. For a better understanding of technology-supported social relations, however, an accurate knowledge of specific platforms should be integrated with an ecological perspective (see Jenkins et al., 2009).
Following the networked individualism (Wellman, 2004) and the networked sociability (Castells et al., 2007) approaches, the new patterns of sociability seem to be built on me-centred networks (Rainie & Wellman, 2012).
Adopting an ecological approach, our research focuses on the (networked) individual and on his/her social relations, considering the whole spectrum of platforms where he/she interacts with others, managing relational patterns and identity performances.
Following this perspective, we can also underline specific media “ideologies” people follow when selecting the platforms where to pursue specific purposes (see Gershon, 2010), with regard to different contexts and interlocutors (close friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues, etc.)
In order to explore such an approach, we have chosen a set of qualitative methods, realizing 4 focus groups and 20 in-depth interviews with young italian people (age 18-26).
Our research questions are the following:
− do young people have a precise representation (ideology) of the peculiarities of different digital platforms?
− Do they perceive some platform as more appropriated for specific tasks, contexts, relational patterns?
− Considering a specific platform (e.g. Facebook) are there communicative practices (tools, actions, etc.) that are perceived as more intimate than others?
− How are such representations built and shared among their peer-groups?
− How do they verbalize their representations of different platforms and the motivations for such perceived differences?
As a stimulus, we offered a set of different scenarios, such as birthday greetings (both from/to close friends and acquaintances), the organization of a large party, etc., asking respondents how would they act in such different situations. Usage experiences, misunderstandings related to different media “ideologies”, appropriate and inappropriate usage patterns were also discussed.
Results show that young people both follow group-specific norms and more individualized usage patterns. All of our respondents, however, show to have a clear picture of what can be defined as an appropriate use of digital technology in relation to specific purposes, contexts, tie strength, etc.
Among the dimensions that have been used to motivate such perceived differences: publicity, communicative bandwidth, synchrony vs asynchrony, investment in terms of time and money, etc.
Moreover, even younger people seem to tribute a high emotional value to face-to-face interaction, often opposing a critical distance (at least in terms of self-representation) towards SNS.
In our opinion, the relevance of our contribution relies on the fact that specific norms and usage patterns appear to organize user choices when interacting with friends and family (also) through social media. Shared usage norms appear as a dynamic and constantly negotiated process: what our respondents used to perceive as an appropriate behavior in the past (e.g. Birthday greetings on close friends' Facebook walls) is no longer accepted as legitimate.
Following the networked individualism (Wellman, 2004) and the networked sociability (Castells et al., 2007) approaches, the new patterns of sociability seem to be built on me-centred networks (Rainie & Wellman, 2012).
Adopting an ecological approach, our research focuses on the (networked) individual and on his/her social relations, considering the whole spectrum of platforms where he/she interacts with others, managing relational patterns and identity performances.
Following this perspective, we can also underline specific media “ideologies” people follow when selecting the platforms where to pursue specific purposes (see Gershon, 2010), with regard to different contexts and interlocutors (close friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues, etc.)
In order to explore such an approach, we have chosen a set of qualitative methods, realizing 4 focus groups and 20 in-depth interviews with young italian people (age 18-26).
Our research questions are the following:
− do young people have a precise representation (ideology) of the peculiarities of different digital platforms?
− Do they perceive some platform as more appropriated for specific tasks, contexts, relational patterns?
− Considering a specific platform (e.g. Facebook) are there communicative practices (tools, actions, etc.) that are perceived as more intimate than others?
− How are such representations built and shared among their peer-groups?
− How do they verbalize their representations of different platforms and the motivations for such perceived differences?
As a stimulus, we offered a set of different scenarios, such as birthday greetings (both from/to close friends and acquaintances), the organization of a large party, etc., asking respondents how would they act in such different situations. Usage experiences, misunderstandings related to different media “ideologies”, appropriate and inappropriate usage patterns were also discussed.
Results show that young people both follow group-specific norms and more individualized usage patterns. All of our respondents, however, show to have a clear picture of what can be defined as an appropriate use of digital technology in relation to specific purposes, contexts, tie strength, etc.
Among the dimensions that have been used to motivate such perceived differences: publicity, communicative bandwidth, synchrony vs asynchrony, investment in terms of time and money, etc.
Moreover, even younger people seem to tribute a high emotional value to face-to-face interaction, often opposing a critical distance (at least in terms of self-representation) towards SNS.
In our opinion, the relevance of our contribution relies on the fact that specific norms and usage patterns appear to organize user choices when interacting with friends and family (also) through social media. Shared usage norms appear as a dynamic and constantly negotiated process: what our respondents used to perceive as an appropriate behavior in the past (e.g. Birthday greetings on close friends' Facebook walls) is no longer accepted as legitimate.
Research Interests:
Conference: ESA - European Sociological Association, At Torino (Italy)