Digital media, Journalism and Political communication

GIOVANNI CIOFALO
GIOVANNI CIOFALO
LORENZO UGOLINI
LORENZO UGOLINI

The course is intended for students enrolled in the first year of the Master's Degree in MEDIA, DIGITAL COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM.
The objective of the course is to provide students with the historical, theoretical and empirical frameworks of digital media studies, adopting a perspective traceable to the field of sociology and media studies and a transdisciplinary approach based on the contribution of communication disciplines.
Specifically, it will promote learning about established approaches to the study of digital media and web environments; the main research conducted in recent decades and their interpretive frameworks, up to the most recent applications of this knowledge to evolving fields of research (from algorithm studies to AI); the sociocultural cultures and practices of the internet and user production/consumption of content; the phenomena of participation and activism emerging in the web sphere; and the logics and practices of operation and use/consumption related to digital platforms and Social Network Sites.
The achievement of these objectives is functional both for the continuation of studies and thus for the development of research-oriented skills (academic and market-oriented), and for application to professional fields related to the media system and creative industries, and more generally to communication applied to different sectors of the public sphere.

Knowledge and ability to understand: the student will learn the main theories that constitute the framework of digital media studies, with particular reference to the macro- and micro-sociological dimensions involved and the cultural and technological logics and practices that are structured in digital environments.



Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: the student will be able to produce independent reflections and analyses applicable to specific digital communication contexts and phenomena.



Critical thinking and judgment skills: the student will develop the ability to understand the authority of a source and the quality of research and will be able to produce critical readings of sociocultural and consumer phenomena referable to the field of digital media.



Ability to communicate what has been learned: the student, through the promotion of collegial classroom discussion and video-writing initiatives, will develop oral and written communication skills, learning a style of profile dissemination appropriate to the educational level of the LM.



Ability to pursue study independently in life: through examples of organizing materials and sources, and supporting the completion of projects and reports, the student/student, will learn knowledge and skills functional to the acquisition of autonomy in future study.

There are no prerequisites.
It is recommended to have basic knowledge regarding media theories and the evolution of the conceptual frameworks of media studies. Students coming from educational backgrounds not focused on media and communication studies can recover this knowledge through the reading of: Michele Sorice, 2020, Sociologia dei media. Un’introduzione critica, Carocci, Roma oppure C. Riva, G. Ciofalo, P. Degli Esposti, R. Stella, Sociologia dei media, Utet, Milano, 2022.

The course is conceptually divided into three sections.
The first ("History") will illustrate and discuss the evolution of digital media, adopting a long-term perspective and underlining continuities and discontinuities with the paradigms of media studies.
The second one ("Theories") will present the main theoretical and interpretative frameworks of relevant processes and phenomena in the macro- and micro-sociological sphere, with particular reference to the models of network and platform society and to the cultural practices connected to the use of digital media and the dynamics of cultural and technological convergence. .
In the third one ("Perspectives and practices"), issues related to web cultures will be addressed, with particular reference to digital platforms and social network sites; the emergence of specific social aggregates [networked publics, affective publics]; the logics that govern the formation of echo chambers and filter bubbles, functional for understanding the mechanisms of public opinion construction, the audience labour, up to the algorithm- and AI studies.

To be defined.
Any changes will be notified at the opening of the course.

The course unit is based on lectures, conducted with computer support (slide projection and eventually audio-video support), during which the participation of students will be stimulated in order to constantly verify the acquired knowledge and the ability to exercise critical and independent judgment on the course topics.
At the beginning of each lesson we will conduct an open discussion on the previous one, to summarize the topics covered. It can be provided for interventions of external guests on specific modules.

Attendance is not mandatory.

The final assessment mode involves an oral examination.
For attending students, consistent with the course schedule, a p.w. may be defined.

• Introduction to Digital Media Studies (10 hours)
  • Books: In the process of being defined.


• Theories and research on digital media studies (32 hours)
  • Books: In the process of being defined.


• Focus on: Social Network Analysis, Social Media Marketing; Information Disorders, Gender and Social Media (10 hours).
  • Books: In the process of being defined.


• P.W. Design and Presentation (20 hours).
  • Books: In the process of being defined.