- School of Journalism, Media and Culture
Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue
Cardiff University
Cardiff, CF10 3NB, UK
- Cardiff University, JOMEC - Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Faculty MemberScuola Normale Superiore, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Department Memberadd
- New Media, Digital Media, Web 2.0, Social Movements, Television Studies, Citizen Journalism, and 32 moreAlternative Media, Radical Media, Movimientos sociales, Emiliano Trere, Web 3.0, Facultad de ciencias politicas y sociales, Mediatization (Communication Studies), Participation Facebook, Online, Offline, Organizaciones Sociales, Desarrollo Sustentable, Democracia Y Agroecologia, Earthquake, User Generated Content, Media Coverage, Newsmaking, Television, Digital, Interactive Art, Berlusconi Media, Social Media, Social Activism, Protest, Digital Activism, Online Journalism, Media Studies, Social Change, Antiglobalization Social Movements, Protest Movements, Activist Imaginary, and ISA47edit
- I am a Senior Lecturer in Media Ecologies and Social Transformation at Cardiff's School of Journalism, Media and Cult... moreI am a Senior Lecturer in Media Ecologies and Social Transformation at Cardiff's School of Journalism, Media and Culture. My research addresses the issue of digital activism and algorithmic resistance from a theoretical standpoint in relation to crucial questions of culture and identity on one side, and to the development of theoretical frameworks related to media theories of change as mediation, media ecologies, and mediatization on the other. Fluent in three languages, I am internationally recognized as a ‘bridge’ between the Western and the Latin American ‘schools of thought’ in media, communication, and social movement studies.
I am the author of Hybrid Media Activism: Ecologies, Imaginaries, Algorithms (Routledge, 2019) https://goo.gl/HLbA7P), winner of the Outstanding Book Award of the ICA Activism, Communication and Social Justice Interest Group. I am also co-editor of Citizen Media and Practice (Routledge, 2019).
My publications include five co-edited special issues “Social Media and Protest Identities” (Information, Communication & Society, 2015), “Latin American Struggles & Digital Media Resistance” (International Journal of Communication, 2015), "From Global Justice to Occupy and Podemos: Mapping Three Stages of Contemporary Activism" (tripleC, 2017), "Big Data from the South" (Television & New Media, 2019), and "Data Justice" (Information, Communication & Society, 2019). I also act as Consultant Editor for the forthcoming Routledge Encyclopedia of Citizen Media. I am a member of the Data Justice Lab (https://datajusticelab.org/) that examines the relationship between datafication and social justice and the cofounder of the "Big Data from the South" Research Initiative that interrogates the diverse practices that subvert the dominant narratives of datafication as theorized and narrated by the global north (http://bit.do/BigDataSur).
Since November 2018, I act as the vice-chair of the 'Communication and Democracy' section of ECREA (European Communication Research and Education Association).edit
Disconnection has recently come to the forefront of public discussions as an antidote to an increasing saturation with digital technologies. Yet experiences with disconnection are often reduced to a form of disengagement that diminishes... more
Disconnection has recently come to the forefront of public discussions as an antidote to an increasing saturation with digital technologies. Yet experiences with disconnection are often reduced to a form of disengagement that diminishes their political impact. Disconnective practices focused on health and well-being are easily appropriated by big tech corporations, defusing their transformative potential into the very dynamics of digital capitalism. In contrast, a long tradition of critical thought, from Joseph Weizenbaum to Jaron Lanier passing through hacktivism, demonstrates that engagement with digital technologies is instrumental to develop critique and resistance against the paradoxes of digital societies. Drawing from this tradition, this article proposes the concept of "Disconnection-through-Engagement" to illuminate situated practices that mobilize disconnection in order to improve critical engagement with digital technologies and platforms. Hybridity, anonymity, and hacking are examined as three forms of Disconnection-through-Engagement, and a call to decommodify disconnection and recast it as a source of collective critique to digital capitalism is put forward.
Research Interests:
Research on the relationships between social movements and digital communication technologies has grown exponentially in the last few years, following episodes of increasingly intense contention around the globe. This inquiry has produced... more
Research on the relationships between social movements and digital communication technologies has grown exponentially in the last few years, following episodes of increasingly intense contention around the globe. This inquiry has produced not only several valuable and illuminating insights but also many superficial and flawed accounts of the role of (digital) technology within contemporary protests. In this commentary, I will tackle some of the key points raised by Lim’s monograph. I start by addressing her claim that the Internet has become more “local” in contemporary movements. Then, I provide a socioeconomic excursus on the crisis of the middle class under financial capitalism that can integrate her reflections on the propelling role of middle classes in recent contentious episodes. To escape the enchantment of techno- logical novelty, I also address the need to examine the historical communicative conditions of movements. I reflect on the radical media imagination, media imaginaries, and the sublime of digital activism. Next, I focus on multidimensionality of media hybridity within contemporary movements. I conclude by offering my perspective on the emergence of a new digital grammar of protest and on the enduring role of precarious bodies in the space of appearance.
These reflections can help clarify some of the most common misconceptions around the media/movement dynamic; at the same time, they shed additional light on the most promising paths of inquiry that have unfolded within this fascinating research domain. Before starting my commentary, I briefly describe the case studies I use to sustain my arguments. The case studies that ground this commentary drawn on more than 10 years of research on the interrelations between social movements and digital media technologies. They are introduced below in the order in which I researched them.
These reflections can help clarify some of the most common misconceptions around the media/movement dynamic; at the same time, they shed additional light on the most promising paths of inquiry that have unfolded within this fascinating research domain. Before starting my commentary, I briefly describe the case studies I use to sustain my arguments. The case studies that ground this commentary drawn on more than 10 years of research on the interrelations between social movements and digital media technologies. They are introduced below in the order in which I researched them.
Research Interests:
This article presents findings from an empirical study of repertoires of contention and communication engaged during anti-austerity protests by the Indignados in Spain, the precarious generation in Italy, and the Aganaktismenoi in Greece.... more
This article presents findings from an empirical study of repertoires of contention and communication engaged during anti-austerity protests by the Indignados in Spain, the precarious generation in Italy, and the Aganaktismenoi in Greece. Drawing on 60 semi-structured interviews with activists and independent media producers involved in the 2011 wave of contention, we bring together social movement and communications theoretical frameworks to present a comparative critical analysis of digital protest media imaginaries. After examining the different socio-political and protest media contexts of the three countries translocally, our critical analysis emphasizes the emergence of three different imaginaries: in Spain the digital protest media imaginary was technopolitical, grounded in the politics and political economies of communication technologies emerging from the free culture movement; in Italy this imaginary was techno-fragmented, lacking cohesion, and failed to bring together old and new protest media logics; and finally in Greece it was techno-pragmatic, envisioned according to practical objectives that reflected the diverse politics and desires of media makers rather than the strictly technological or political affordances of the digital media forms and platforms. This research reveals how pivotal the temporal and geographical dimensions are when analyzed using theoretical perspectives from both communications and social movement research; moreover it emphasizes the importance of studying translocal digital protest media imaginaries as they shape movement repertoires of contention and communication; both elements are crucial to better understanding the challenges, limitations, successes and opportunities for digital protest media.
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Varias corrientes de la literatura sobre compromiso social, medios digitales y big data conciben las plataformas digitales como un atajo hacia la rendición de cuentas gubernamental y el empoderamiento de la ciudadanía. Según estas... more
Varias corrientes de la literatura sobre compromiso social, medios digitales y big data conciben las plataformas digitales como un atajo hacia la rendición de cuentas gubernamental y el empoderamiento de la ciudadanía. Según estas visiones, las redes sociales y las nuevas posibilidades brindadas por el análisis de grandes datos representan la solución a las problemáticas de las democracias contemporáneas. A partir de un análisis crítico de diversos fenómenos sociales y políticos del México actual, este artículo demuestra que distintos partidos políticos y Gobiernos han usado con éxito nuevas formas de represión algorítmica con la intención de fabricar el consentimiento, sabotear la disidencia, amenazar y vigilar a activistas y apropiarse de los datos personales de los ciudadanos. El artículo argumenta que estas nuevas estrategias muestran claramente las limitaciones de las plataformas digitales —y de las redes sociales en particular— para la participación democrática, ya que los activistas tienen que luchar contra sofisticadas técnicas de control y represión que adoptan y manipulan eficazmente las nuevas tecnologías de la comunicación. Por último, se exponen unas consideraciones más amplias sobre los límites y los beneficios de las nuevas formas de resistencia algorítmica en el actual escenario tecnopolítico, proponiendo un enfoque tecnoambivalente a las tecnologías digitales.
Research Interests: Social Movements, Algorithms, New Media, Digital Media, Digital Culture, and 12 moreSocial Activism, Social Media, Democracy, Mexico, Movimientos sociales, Digital Activism, New Media and Political Activism, Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil - ONG, Activismo, Nuevos Medios, Resistencia Social, and Tecnopolítica
This article responds to current critiques about the myths of digital democracy drawing on the case study of the Italian Movimento 5 Stelle/5 Star Movement (5SM) lead by comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo. We argue that the political... more
This article responds to current critiques about the myths of digital democracy drawing on the case study of the Italian Movimento 5 Stelle/5 Star Movement (5SM) lead by comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo. We argue that the political success of the 5SM was largely dependent on a process of technological fetishism of the Net as an autonomous political agent. We also contend that this process has enabled the party leaders to build an ideology of the movement and represent the 5SM as a grassroots movement based on horizontal networks, participatory democracy, and characterized by the absence of leadership. Conversely, we claim that the digital rhetoric of horizontality, lack of leadership and spontaneity of the party is used to mask, facilitate and reinforce the authority of Beppe Grillo as political leader, thus forging a new type of authoritarianism that is supported and legitimated through the everyday construction of digital discourse.
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Various strands of literature on civic engagement, ‘big data’ and open government view digital technologies as the key to easier government accountability and citizens’ empowerment, and the solution to many of the problems of contemporary... more
Various strands of literature on civic engagement, ‘big data’ and open government view digital technologies as the key to easier government accountability and citizens’ empowerment, and the solution to many of the problems of contemporary democracies. Drawing on a critical analysis of contemporary Mexican social and political phenomena, and on a two-yearlong ethnography with the #YoSoy132 networked movement, this article demonstrates that digital tools have been successfully deployed by Mexican parties and governments in order to manufacture consent, sabotage dissidence, threaten activists, and gather personal data without citizens’ agreement. These new algorithmic strategies, it is contended, clearly
show that there is nothing inherently democratic in digital communication technologies, and that citizens and activists have to struggle against increasingly sophisticated techniques of control and repression that exploit the very mechanisms that many consider to be emancipatory technologies
show that there is nothing inherently democratic in digital communication technologies, and that citizens and activists have to struggle against increasingly sophisticated techniques of control and repression that exploit the very mechanisms that many consider to be emancipatory technologies
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Studies adopting the media ecology metaphor to investigate social movements form a promising strand of literature that has emerged in the last years to overcome the communicative reductionism permeating the study of the relation between... more
Studies adopting the media ecology metaphor to investigate social movements form a promising strand of literature that has emerged in the last years to overcome the communicative reductionism permeating the study of the relation between social movements and communication technologies. However, contributions that apply ecological visions to protest are scattered, and only seldom connect their analyses to more general media ecological frameworks. The article critically reviews and classifies the diverse strands of scholarship that adopt the ecological metaphor in their exploration of activism, and connects them with the more general literature on media and communication ecologies. Moreover, it extracts the constitutive elements of this literature that can help scholars to better address the complexity of communication within social movements, and it articulates four key lessons that a media ecology lens brings to the understanding of media and protest. Finally, the article further demonstrates the strengths of this approach through an illustration of the preliminary findings of an ongoing investigation on the 15M movement in Spain.
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In this conversation, professor and leading scholar on global social movements and contemporary protest Geoffrey Pleyers maps and critically reflects on the main battlefields of Latin American struggles, from resistance over land... more
In this conversation, professor and leading scholar on global social movements and contemporary protest Geoffrey Pleyers maps and critically reflects on the main battlefields of Latin American struggles, from resistance over land dispossession and extractivism to conflicts over information control and the quality of democracy, from the battle against the neoliberal privatization of public education to the struggles for justice against impunity and violence. He then situates the role of digital media within a multifaceted scenario where powerful mainstream media and political elites are colluded, independent journalists are threatened and struggle to get their voice heard, and governments invest immense resources to spy on citizens and to influence public opinion. While recognizing the importance of the Internet to pursue social change in the Latin American context, Pleyers urges us to look at the broader social, political, and economic picture in order to understand the extent of the transformations on the continent.
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In this conversation, Bernardo Gutiérrez examines the multifaceted roles played by digital media technologies in the processes of resistance and emancipation of several Latin American countries, with a particular focus on Mexico, Brazil,... more
In this conversation, Bernardo Gutiérrez examines the multifaceted roles played by digital media technologies in the processes of resistance and emancipation of several Latin American countries, with a particular focus on Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. Relying on his extensive experience as a journalist and activist, and on the preliminary findings of his new project funded by Oxfam, an international confederation to find solutions to poverty, an injustice around the world, he argues that the similarities among these new mobilizations have to be looked for in their technopolitical architecture and in the forms of organization-action they assume, rather than in their demands, shared ideologies, and grievances.
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The role of digital communication within contemporary struggles in Latin America has not received the consideration it deserves, especially internationally in English-language scholarship. The articles in this Special Section aim to fill... more
The role of digital communication within contemporary struggles in Latin America has not received the consideration it deserves, especially internationally in English-language scholarship. The articles in this Special Section aim to fill this gap and provide key guidelines to navigate the multifaceted tapestry of digital media resistance in Latin America. We illustrate that in the Latin American scenario digital technologies have been appropriated in multiple, even contradictory, ways to fight against inequalities, challenge highly concentrated media ecologies, create counterhegemonic spaces, and build bridges among organizations. Moreover, we point out that in order to understand the communicative dynamics of contemporary Latin American struggles it is necessary to establish a dialogue between diverse traditions and conceptual frameworks. We conclude by summarizing the arguments and reviewing the significance of the contributions to this Special Section.
Research Interests: Social Movements, Latin American Studies, New Media, Digital Media, Media Ecology, and 12 moreResistance (Social), Social Media, Media and Democracy, Social movements and revolution, Cybercultures, The Internet, Civil Society, Latin America, Movimientos sociales, Mobs, Riots, and Revolutionary Crowds, América Latina, and Movimientos sociales. América Latina
This article starts from the recognition that digital social movements studies have progressively disregarded collective identity and the importance of internal communicative dynamics in contemporary social movements, in favour of the... more
This article starts from the recognition that digital social movements studies have progressively disregarded collective identity and the importance of internal communicative dynamics in contemporary social movements, in favour of the study of the technological affordances and the organizational capabilities of social media. Based on a two-year multimodal ethnography of the Mexican #YoSoy132 movement, the article demonstrates that the concept of collective identity is still able to yield relevant insights into the study of current movements, especially in connection with the use of social media platforms. Through the appropriations of social media, Mexican students were able to oppose the negative identification fabricated by the PRI party, reclaim their agency and their role as heirs of a long tradition of rebellion, generate collective identification processes, and find ‘comfort zones’ to lower the costs of activism, reinforcing their internal cohesion and solidarity. The article stresses the importance of the internal communicative dynamics that develop in the backstage of social media (Facebook chats and groups) and through instant messaging services (WhatsApp), thus rediscovering the pivotal linkage between collective identity and internal communication that characterized the first wave of research on digital social movements. The findings point out how that internal cohesion and collective identity are fundamentally shaped and reinforced in the social media backstage by practices of ‘ludic activism’, which indicates that social media represent not only the organizational backbone of contemporary social movements, but also multifaceted ecologies where a new, expressive and humorous ‘communicative resistance grammar’ emerges.
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This article responds to current critiques about the myths of digital democracy drawing on the case study of the Italian Movimento 5 Stelle/5 Star Movement (5SM) lead by comedian- turned-politician Beppe Grillo. We argue that the... more
This article responds to current critiques about the myths of digital democracy drawing on the case study of the Italian Movimento 5 Stelle/5 Star Movement (5SM) lead by comedian- turned-politician Beppe Grillo. We argue that the political success of the 5SM was largely dependent on a process of technological fetishism of the Net as an autonomous political agent. We also contend that this process has enabled the party leaders to build an ideology of the movement and represent the 5SM as a grassroots movement based on horizontal networks, participatory democracy, and characterized by the absence of leadership. Conversely, we claim that the digital rhetoric of horizontality, lack of leadership and spontaneity of the party is used to mask, facilitate and reinforce the authority of Beppe Grillo as political leader, thus forging a new type of authoritarianism that is supported and legitimated through the everyday construction of digital discourse.
Research Interests: Social Movements, Information Technology, Anthropology, New Media, Political Participation, and 13 moreSocial Networks, Political Parties, Digital Media, Political Campaigns, Politics, Ideology, Social Media, Facebook, Internet & Society, Political Ideology, Civil Society, Digital Activism, and Protest Movements
The aim of this article is to explore the use of 3 concepts of media studies—media practices, mediation, and mediatization—in order to build a conceptual framework to study social movements and the media. The article first provides a... more
The aim of this article is to explore the use of 3 concepts of media studies—media practices, mediation, and mediatization—in order to build a conceptual framework to study social movements and the media. The article first provides a critical review of the literature about media and movements. Secondly, it offers an understanding of social movements as processes in which activists perform actions according to different temporalities and connect this understanding with the use of the 3 media related concepts mentioned above. Then, the resulting conceptual framework is applied to the Italian student movements. In the conclusion, benefits and challenges in the use of such framework are considered and lines of inquiry on current movements are suggested.
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The aim of this article is to explore the motivations that drove many ordinary people to produce citizen journalism after the earthquake that destroyed the Italian city of L’Aquila in 2009. Using in-depth interviews, we investigate the... more
The aim of this article is to explore the motivations that drove many ordinary people to produce citizen journalism after the earthquake that destroyed the Italian city of L’Aquila in 2009. Using in-depth interviews, we investigate the motivations and the obstacles underlying the publication of grassroots information related to the post- earthquake situation. Findings highlight that people were largely motivated to upload their content online: (1) to contrast the quake-related news provided by Italian mainstream media with their own perceptions; (2) to document their lives and the ‘real situation’ of the city; and (3) to share their points of view with other citizens trying to re-establish online the ties broken offline because of the catastrophe. Analysis shows that these non-professional journalists also had to face a series of obstacles, such as risks of fragmentation and lack of professionalism, funding and visibility.
Research Interests: New Media, Journalism, Social Networks, Digital Media, Disaster Studies, and 12 moreCommunity Development, Citizen Journalism, Social Activism, Social Media, Alternative Media, Online Journalism, Online social networks, Mass media, Participatory Journalism, Mainstream Media, L'Aquila, and Redes Sociales Digitales
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This paper aims at interpreting the relationship between social movements and communica- tion technologies, from the perspective of a set of critical frameworks which, in recent years, have warned of the processes of sublimation and... more
This paper aims at interpreting the relationship between social movements and communica- tion technologies, from the perspective of a set of critical frameworks which, in recent years, have warned of the processes of sublimation and creation of myths linked to the birth of each “new” technology. Within this context, civic movements are observed both as spaces of reproduction of enthusiastic discourses on ICTs, at the service of diverse power spheres -corporations, governments, media, etc.-, as well as of experimentation and technological appropriation, in which, through daily practices, a more complex and demystified perspec- tive of communication technologies is produced. We propose a chronological analysis across three case studies, based in different contexts, which aim at illustrating the premature ap- proximations to the role of communication technologies in social uprisings: the Zapatista informational guerrilla, the ‘smart mobs’ in the Philippines, the ‘Anomalous Wave’ and the ‘5 Stars Movement’ in the Italian context. We conclude underlining the need to move towards the collective construction of knowledge through synergies between academia and social movements as a way to question techno-euphoria as well as to avoid the mistakes of the past.
Research Interests: Social Movements, New Media, Web 2.0, Digital Humanities, Social Networks, and 15 moreDigital Media, Media History, Political communication, Social Activism, Social Media, Alternative Media, TIC, Cyberactivism, Movimientos sociales, Nuevas tecnologías, Digital Activism, Medios digitales, Tecnopolitics, Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação (TIC) na Educação, and Digital Sublime
Current internet research has been influenced by application developers and computer engineers who see the development of the Web as being divided into three different stages: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. This article will argue that... more
Current internet research has been influenced by application developers and computer engineers who see the development of the Web as being divided into three different stages: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. This article will argue that this understanding – although important when analysing the political economy of the Web – can have serious limitations when applied to everyday contexts and the lived experience of technologies. Drawing from the context of the Italian student movement, we show that the division between Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is often deconstructed by activists’ media practices. Therefore, we highlight the importance of developing an approach that – by focusing on practice – draws attention to the interplay between Web platforms rather than their transition. This approach, we believe, is essential to the understanding of the complex relationship between Web developments, human negotiations and everyday social contexts.
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This article applies the information ecology framework to explore Aula C, the headquarters of an Italian student collective that is part of the Anomalous Wave movement. It draws on a multimodal ethnography that includes participant... more
This article applies the information ecology framework to explore Aula C, the headquarters of an Italian student collective that is part of the Anomalous Wave movement. It draws on a multimodal ethnography that includes participant observation and 17 semistructured interviews. Findings highlight the interrelationships among actors, practices, and technologies that constitute a system characterized by diversity, in which members of radical tech groups act as keystone species. By pointing out the coexistence and coevolution of activists and their tools, this article tries to overcome theorizations that do not consider the whole media environment with which activists interact. The newest application, it is shown, may in fact not be the most used technology for activism.
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The aim of this paper is to analyze a social movement which emerged after the earthquake in L'Aquila (Italy): "The People of the Wheelbarrows". With triangulation of semi-structured interviews, offline ethnography and content analysis of... more
The aim of this paper is to analyze a social movement which emerged after the earthquake in L'Aquila (Italy): "The People of the Wheelbarrows". With triangulation of semi-structured interviews, offline ethnography and content analysis of the movement's Facebook group we tried to answer to the following research question: how is the movement's participation articulated between online and the offline dimensions?
Our findings show the importance of the local level, the continuous interplay between the online and the offline and the simultaneous use of a variety of online platforms. The results highlight the role that the Web has played in the coordination of the movement and in the management of meetings and events and show that when physical spaces collapse, online spaces acquire a vital importance.
Our findings show the importance of the local level, the continuous interplay between the online and the offline and the simultaneous use of a variety of online platforms. The results highlight the role that the Web has played in the coordination of the movement and in the management of meetings and events and show that when physical spaces collapse, online spaces acquire a vital importance.
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RESUMEN: Estudios empíricos han señalado que la interacción en las plataformas de los movimientos sociales suele ser muy baja, aunque otros autores argumentan que la Web 2.0 aumenta las posibilidades de participación y de... more
RESUMEN: Estudios empíricos han señalado que la interacción en las plataformas de los movimientos sociales suele ser muy baja, aunque otros autores argumentan que la Web 2.0 aumenta las posibilidades de participación y de interacción. Este artículo presenta un análisis cuali-cuantitativo de la página Facebook del Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad. El objetivo consiste en investigar si esta página constituye un espacio de diálogo e interacción o si en cambio prevalece una lógica de difusión de contenidos online. Los resultados revelan que Facebook aparece como espacio de publicación de informaciones, no como red para un debate participativo.
ABSTRACT: Empirical studies have pointed out that interaction in the technological platforms used by social movements is usually very low, even if other authors have argued that Web 2.0 increases the possibilities for participation and interaction. This article presents a quali-quantitative analysis of the Facebook page of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity. The aim is to investigate whether this page is a space for dialogue and interaction or whether the dominant logic is the simple diffusion of online content. Results reveal that Facebook appears as a space for the publication of information, rather than a network for building a participatory debate."
ABSTRACT: Empirical studies have pointed out that interaction in the technological platforms used by social movements is usually very low, even if other authors have argued that Web 2.0 increases the possibilities for participation and interaction. This article presents a quali-quantitative analysis of the Facebook page of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity. The aim is to investigate whether this page is a space for dialogue and interaction or whether the dominant logic is the simple diffusion of online content. Results reveal that Facebook appears as a space for the publication of information, rather than a network for building a participatory debate."
Research Interests: Social Movements, Media Studies, New Media, Web 2.0, Digital Media, and 14 moreSocial Activism, Social Media, Facebook, Alternative Media, Online social networks, Mexican Politics, The Internet, Facebook Studies, Movimientos sociales, Online Media, Redes sociales, Redes Sociales Digitales, Comunidades virtuales y redes y medios sociales online, and MPJD
The media landscape is undergoing radical changes, especially related to the process of digitalization and information circulation through the internet, which increases the number of web channels and the opportunity to access them using... more
The media landscape is undergoing radical changes, especially related to the process of digitalization and information circulation through the internet, which increases the number of web channels and the opportunity to access them using multiple devices, and decreases the expertise needed to produce them. In this new digital, multi-channel environment, radical innovation, diversification and media hybridization are revolutionizing television. For over fifty years the way that television is watched and produced has not changed significantly. Today the roles of producers and audiences have blurred because users are able to upload their contents independent of traditional intermediaries, and to create their own Web TV platforms in an inexpensive way. Claude Lévi Strauss in 1962 developed the concept of the bricoleur opposed to the concept of ingénieur. According to the author, the bricoleur is able to use any available tools stocked from previous experience in order to complete a project, even if these tools were not intended for the specific goal. Drusian and Riva (2010) have applied this concept to the digital context describing the features of a new communication actor: the bricoleur high-tech.
In this paper, drawing on the concept of the high-tech bricoleur, we will investigate two different Italian Web Television projects, CrossingTv, a micro WebTV created in Bologna in 2006, and FEMI, the Italian federation of Micro web TVs created in
2008. These initiatives both require the bricoleur, but they differ with regard to aim and results. Through the exploration of these two case studies, this paper shows in which ways these Web TV experiences differ from traditional television, specifically, how these new TV platforms clouds the distinction between media producers and media consumers. Our findings highlight a paradigm shift in how television is produced: content is generated collaboratively through recursive feedback between producers and audiences. We conclude by outlining some future directions for the study of this medium.
In this paper, drawing on the concept of the high-tech bricoleur, we will investigate two different Italian Web Television projects, CrossingTv, a micro WebTV created in Bologna in 2006, and FEMI, the Italian federation of Micro web TVs created in
2008. These initiatives both require the bricoleur, but they differ with regard to aim and results. Through the exploration of these two case studies, this paper shows in which ways these Web TV experiences differ from traditional television, specifically, how these new TV platforms clouds the distinction between media producers and media consumers. Our findings highlight a paradigm shift in how television is produced: content is generated collaboratively through recursive feedback between producers and audiences. We conclude by outlining some future directions for the study of this medium.
Research Interests:
Este artículo aborda la experiencia del movimiento social #YoSoy132, a partir de la exploración de su surgimiento en el contexto político, social y mediático mexicano y del análisis de sus características, demandas y paralelismos... more
Este artículo aborda la experiencia del movimiento social #YoSoy132, a partir de la exploración de su surgimiento en el contexto político, social y mediático mexicano y del análisis de sus características, demandas y paralelismos con los nuevos movimientos sociales globales. Además, el artículo problematiza el papel de los medios digitales –en particular de las redes sociales– dentro del movimiento, rompiendo con cinco narrativas dominantes en la literatura. Finalmente, se realiza un balance de los alcances y de las limitaciones de #YoSoy132.
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Aquest article aborda l’experiència del moviment social #YoSoy132, a partir de l’exploració del seu sorgiment en el context polític, social i mediàtic mexicà i de l’anàlisi de les seves característiques, demandes i paral·lelismes... more
Aquest article aborda l’experiència del moviment social #YoSoy132, a partir de l’exploració del seu sorgiment en el context polític, social i mediàtic mexicà i de l’anàlisi de les seves característiques, demandes i paral·lelismes amb els nous moviments socials globals. A més, l’article problematitza el paper dels nous mitjans digitals –en particular de les xarxes socials– dins del moviment, trencant amb cinc narratives dominants en la literatura. Finalment, es realitza un balanç de l’abast i les limitacions de #YoSoy132.
Research Interests: Critical Theory, Social Movements, New Media, Web 2.0, Social Networks, and 12 moreCatalan Language, Digital Media, Community Engagement & Participation, Social Media, Alternative Media, Citizenship, Cyberactivism, Ciencia Politica, Movimientos sociales, Politica, Sociología, Ciberactivismo, Activismo, and #yosoy132
In this article, we analyze through a political economy of communication lens the historical and political contexts in which the #YoSoy132 movement emerged, the Mexican media concentration system, and the possibilities offered by social... more
In this article, we analyze through a political economy of communication lens the historical and political contexts in which the #YoSoy132 movement emerged, the Mexican media concentration system, and the possibilities offered by social media to young people, situating the issue of media democratization at the centre of the #YoSoy132 struggle. Drawing on two group and four individual interviews, we also focus on the dimension of students' communication practices in order to provide a more nuanced evaluation of the role played by digital media inside the movement. By blending a political economy analysis with an exploration of media practices, we offer an in-depth understanding of how communication technologies were used and appropriated in order to democratize mainstream media, foster pluralism, and trigger important processes related to political culture within the Mexican context. We conclude by assessing the achievements as well as the challenges of #YoSoy132.
Research Interests: Social Movements, Political Economy, Practice theory, Mexican Studies, Social Networking, and 14 moreDemocratization, Digital Culture, Social Activism, Social Media, Protest, Facebook, Alternative Media, Media Convergence, Citizenship, Mexico, Mexican Revolution, Movimientos sociales, Digital Politics, and #yosoy132
The aim of this article is to explore the use of 3 concepts of media studies—media practices, mediation, and mediatization—in order to build a conceptual framework to study social movements and the media. The article first provides a... more
The aim of this article is to explore the use of 3 concepts of media studies—media practices, mediation, and mediatization—in order to build a conceptual framework to study social movements and the media. The article first provides a critical review of the literature about media and movements. Secondly, it offers an understanding of social movements as processes in which activists perform actions according to different temporalities and connect this understanding with the use of the 3 media related concepts mentioned above. Then, the resulting conceptual framework is applied to the Italian student movements. In the conclusion, benefits and challenges in the use of such framework are considered and lines of inquiry on current movements are suggested.
Research Interests:
Discourses on algorithms are increasingly populating the media and pervading public conversations. Newspapers are filled with stories on how algorithmic power is impacting our choices in the realms of politics, journalism, music, sport,... more
Discourses on algorithms are increasingly populating the media and pervading public conversations. Newspapers are filled with stories on how algorithmic power is impacting our choices in the realms of politics, journalism, music, sport, research, and healthcare. The recent inclusion of the term in the influential “Digital Keywords” volume (Peters 2016) also signals a growing interest in the concept and its consequences within various fields and strands of research in the academia, and especially within media studies. As Gillespie (2016) has pointed out, the term appears in recent scholarship not only as a noun but also increasingly as an adjective, in relation to issues of identity, culture, ideology, accountability, governance, imaginary and regulation. In this chapter, I focus on the changes that algorithmic power is bringing to the realm of politics and the transformations of digital activism. The chapter begins with a brief outline of the significance of algorithms in digital politics. Then, it focuses on two diverse conceptions and manifestations of algorithmic power in politics (algorithm as propaganda/repression and algorithm as appropriation/ resistance) that emerge from the explorations of two case studies.
Research Interests:
This chapter explores the past, assesses the present and delineates the future of a media practice approach to citizen media. The first section provides an extensive overview of the different currents in research on media practices,... more
This chapter explores the past, assesses the present and delineates the future of a media practice approach to citizen media. The first section provides an extensive overview of the different currents in research on media practices, identifying the antecedents of the media practice approach in several theoretical traditions and highlighting possible points of convergence between them. Hence, we ground the roots of the practice approach in Latin American communication and media studies, we scrutinize Couldry's conceptualization in connection to theories of practices within the social sciences, and we examine audience research, media anthropology, social movement studies, citizen and alternative media, and Communication for Development and Social Change. The second section takes stock of the current 'state of the art' of practice-focused research on citizen and activist media and develops a critical assessment of how the concept of media practices has been used in recent literature, identifying key strengths and shortcomings. In this section, we also discuss the integration of media practices with other concepts, such as mediation, mediatization, media ecologies, media archeology, media imaginaries, and the public sphere. The third section delineates future directions for research on citizen media and practice, reflecting on some of the challenges facing this growing interdisciplinary field. Here, we illustrate how the media practice approach provides a powerful framework for researching the pressing challenges posed by mediatization and datafication. Further, we highlight the need for deeper theoretical engagement, underline the necessity of dialogue between different traditions, and point out some unresolved issues and limitations. The chapter concludes with an outline of the contributions to this edited collection.
Research Interests:
This introduction is divided into two main sections. In the first section, the pars denstruens, the three spectres (technological instrumentalism, functionalism, and technological determinism), and the five fallacies (spatial dualism,... more
This introduction is divided into two main sections. In the first section, the pars denstruens, the three spectres (technological instrumentalism, functionalism, and technological determinism), and the five fallacies (spatial dualism, one-medium fallacy, technological presentism, technological visibility, and alternativeness) of the communicative reductionism that plagues the media/movement literature are critically assessed. In the second section, the pars construens, the case studies, and the methods on which the book relies are illustrated, and a new conceptual vocabulary is proposed in order to restore the communicative complexity of social movements. The conceptual lenses of media practices, ecologies, imaginaries, and algorithms are introduced and illustrated, along with an outline of the sections and the chapters composing the book.
Research Interests: Social Movements, Latin American Studies, Algorithms, Political Participation, Mexican Studies, and 13 moreDigital Media, Alternative Media, The Sublime, Social Imaginaries, Marshall McLuhan, Mexican Politics, Digital Activism, Hybrid Media, Media and Citizenship, Big Data, New Media Ecologies, Spanish Indignados (Occupy), and Digital Media Activism
Treré, E. & Barranquero, A. (2018). Tracing the Roots of Technopolitics: Towards a North-South Dialogue. In F. SIERRA & T. GRAVANTE (Eds.), Networks, Movements and Technopolitics in Latin America (pp. 43-63). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave & IAMCR Series. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65560-4more
The concept of technopolitics has been increasingly employed to interpret the contemporary uses of communication technologies by social movements and civil society organizations. This chapter tackles the historical and theoretical roots... more
The concept of technopolitics has been increasingly employed to interpret the contemporary uses of communication technologies by social movements and civil society organizations. This chapter tackles the historical and theoretical roots of the notion, by critically examining contributions from different disciplines, regions and strands of literature. First, the chapter outlines the use of technopolitics within technology transfer and scientific innovation, and charts its adoption in studies regarding media and the political sphere. Then, it explores its rediscovery and application at the intersection between the appropriations of Spanish activists and academics, and scrutinizes its extension to Latin America. Next, it examines five key potentialities of the concept, as well as its connections with other recent theorizations, especially derived from Anglo-Saxon scholarship. The chapter concludes by proposing further dialogue between Northern and Southern research communities, as a way to generate more nuanced understandings of everyday activist practices, action research, and socio-political change.
Research Interests: Social Movements, Digital Media, Community Media, Hacktivism, Cyberactivism, and 9 moreMovimientos sociales, Communication for Social Change, Occupy Movement, 15M movement, Technopolitics, Spanish Indignados (Occupy), Movimientos sociales. América Latina, Tecnopolítica, and Science and Technology Studies
The concept of technopolitics has been increasingly employed to interpret the contemporary uses of communication technologies by social movements and civil society organizations. This chapter tackles the historical and theoretical roots... more
The concept of technopolitics has been increasingly employed to interpret the contemporary uses of communication technologies by social movements and civil society organizations. This chapter tackles the historical and theoretical roots of the notion, by critically examining contributions from different disciplines, regions and strands of literature. First, the chapter outlines the use of technopolitics within technology transfer and scientific innovation, and charts its adoption in studies regarding media and the political sphere. Then, it explores its rediscovery and application at the intersection between the appropriations of Spanish activists and academics, and scrutinizes its extension to Latin America. Next, it examines five key potentialities of the concept, as well as its connections with other recent theorizations, especially derived from Anglo-Saxon scholarship. The chapter concludes by proposing further dialogue between Northern and Southern research communities, as a way to generate more nuanced understandings of everyday activist practices, action research, and socio-political change.
Research Interests: Social Movements, Media Studies, New Media, Internet Studies, Digital Media, and 12 moreSocial Activism, Social Media, Media Theory, The Social Shaping of Technology, Civil Society, Movimientos sociales, Digital Activism, Hybrid Media, Activismo, Media theory and Research, Technopolitics, and Spanish Indignados (Occupy)
Research Interests: New Media, Political Participation, Surveillance Studies, Digital Cultura, Cybercultures, and 9 moreCitizenship, Movimientos sociales, Prospectiva y Vigilancia Tecnológica, Redes sociales, Participación ciudadana, Zapatismo, Medios de Comunicación, Medios digitales, and Relaciones de poder y ciudadanía
Research Interests:
Este artículo se aleja de los análisis superficiales y entusiastas par ofrecer una exploración crítica de los alcances y las limitaciones de las prácticas de resistencia que se han desarrollado en los últimos años en el contexto mexicano... more
Este artículo se aleja de los análisis superficiales y entusiastas par ofrecer una exploración crítica de los alcances y las limitaciones de las prácticas de resistencia que se han desarrollado en los últimos años en el contexto mexicano alrededor de las redes sociales y, en particular, de las videoplataformas online.
Research Interests: Social Movements, New Media, Digital Media, Collective Action, Video Art, and 12 moreMedia Activism, Social Activism, Social Media, Alternative Media, Civil Society, Mexico, Movimientos sociales, Redes sociales, Media and Citizenship, Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil - ONG, #yosoy132, and Medios Alternativos de Solución de Conflictos
Research Interests:
From the Introduction: "As Treré outlines in his contribution to this book, looking particularly at the #YoSoy132 movement in Mexico, the communication practices around social media by activists are not constitutive of the ‘smooth... more
From the Introduction: "As Treré outlines in his contribution to this book, looking particularly at the #YoSoy132 movement in Mexico, the communication practices around social media by activists are not constitutive of the ‘smooth functioning’ of counterpower through mass self- communication that we find in Castells’s accounts of protest movements, for example, but are constantly plagued by conflicts, clashes, struggles and dis- cord. These conflicts come to manifest themselves in terms of daily interactions and difficulties as activists express concern and discomfort with integrating social media into their protest practices. Issues of ephemerality and weak ties seep through movement interactions by raising questions of authority and belonging in terms of conflicts over who has access and what can be posted on social media platforms in the name of any given protest. Equally, Treré points out, the concern with surveillance on social media platforms prevails within the movements as a ‘light paranoia’ that, in the case of Mexico, eventually manifested itself after Mexican police carried out several arbitrary detentions and human rights violations during a protest, leading many activists to quit social media entirely. Indeed, as Treré outlines, the Mexican context illustrates the extent to which (traditional) politics outside the world of social media continues to constrain and control emerging forms of resistance, both in terms of online and offline practices. That is, we need to look at broader social and political developments in order to understand how and to what extent activists engage with social media for the purposes of protest.
Research Interests:
My contribution to the CIVIC MEDIA PROJECT from the MIT Press
Available here: http://civicmediaproject.org/works/civic-media-project/yosoy132movement
Available here: http://civicmediaproject.org/works/civic-media-project/yosoy132movement
Research Interests: Social Movements, New Media, Digital Media, Community Media, Social Media, and 10 moreMateriality (Anthropology), Alternative Media, Civic Engagement, Citizenship, Civil Society, Mexico, Mass media, New media, Social Network Sites and Youth Practices, Youth Online sociability and Identity, Media and Digital Literacies, Participation and Civic Engagement, and Tensions between Public and Private, Public Uprising, and Journalism And Mass communication
Desde la Introducción de Amparo Cadavid: Treré analiza en el marco de la aguda violencia del actual México, un caso de comunicación de un colectivo de Ciudad Juárez, el Barrio Nómada. Introduce y posiciona el concepto de 'comunicación... more
Desde la Introducción de Amparo Cadavid:
Treré analiza en el marco de la aguda violencia del actual México, un caso de comunicación de un colectivo de Ciudad Juárez, el Barrio Nómada. Introduce y posiciona el concepto de 'comunicación total' que emerge de la experiencia tratada. Analiza la experiencia del proyecto desde los actuales desarrollos tecnológicos y los obstáculos y dificultades a los cuales se han enfrentado y han debido resolver.
Treré analiza en el marco de la aguda violencia del actual México, un caso de comunicación de un colectivo de Ciudad Juárez, el Barrio Nómada. Introduce y posiciona el concepto de 'comunicación total' que emerge de la experiencia tratada. Analiza la experiencia del proyecto desde los actuales desarrollos tecnológicos y los obstáculos y dificultades a los cuales se han enfrentado y han debido resolver.
Research Interests: Social Movements, New Media, Violence, Mexican Studies, Digital Media, and 14 moreCommunity Development, Collective Action, Social Activism, Social Media, Protest, Alternative Media, The Internet, Mexico, Movimientos sociales, Digital Activism, Mexican media studies, Liquidity, Social Networking & Social Media, and Total Communication
Cite as: Farinosi, M. & Treré, E. (2014). Social Movements, Social Media and Post-Disaster Resilience. Towards an Integrated System of Local Protest. In T. Denison, M. Sarrica, L. Stillman (Eds.), Theories, Practices and Examples for... more
Cite as: Farinosi, M. & Treré, E. (2014). Social Movements, Social Media and Post-Disaster Resilience. Towards an Integrated System of Local Protest. In T. Denison, M. Sarrica, L. Stillman (Eds.), Theories, Practices and Examples for Community and Social Informatics (pp. 63-85). Victoria, Australia: Monash University Publishing.
ABSTRACT
On 6 April 2009 an earthquake occurred in L’Aquila, a small city in the centre of Italy, causing the death of more than 300 people. This tragic event led to a prompt increase in the adoption and use of Internet technologies by local citizens who appropriated social media platforms in order to reconstruct online the offline spaces of socialisation which had been damaged or destroyed by the quake. A year after the tragedy, to protest against the Italian State’s failure to remove the debris from the historical city centre, some citizens decided to flee into the streets with wheelbarrows and autonomously remove the rubble: a new movement later labelled as “The People of the Wheelbarrows” (“PoW”) emerged. These activists aimed at involving the citizenship in the decision processes regarding L’Aquila’s reconstruction, in contrast to the government’s top-down strategies, and at making the public aware of the issue of the debris removal and the urgent need for the historical centre’s re-opening and reconstruction. This paper explores the Internet-related practices of the actors of the PoW. Our findings highlight the existence of an integrated system of local protest characterised by a complex communication ecology based on crossovers between traditional media and multiple digital technologies, and articulated between the online and the offline dimensions.
ABSTRACT
On 6 April 2009 an earthquake occurred in L’Aquila, a small city in the centre of Italy, causing the death of more than 300 people. This tragic event led to a prompt increase in the adoption and use of Internet technologies by local citizens who appropriated social media platforms in order to reconstruct online the offline spaces of socialisation which had been damaged or destroyed by the quake. A year after the tragedy, to protest against the Italian State’s failure to remove the debris from the historical city centre, some citizens decided to flee into the streets with wheelbarrows and autonomously remove the rubble: a new movement later labelled as “The People of the Wheelbarrows” (“PoW”) emerged. These activists aimed at involving the citizenship in the decision processes regarding L’Aquila’s reconstruction, in contrast to the government’s top-down strategies, and at making the public aware of the issue of the debris removal and the urgent need for the historical centre’s re-opening and reconstruction. This paper explores the Internet-related practices of the actors of the PoW. Our findings highlight the existence of an integrated system of local protest characterised by a complex communication ecology based on crossovers between traditional media and multiple digital technologies, and articulated between the online and the offline dimensions.
Research Interests:
Partiendo del asunto que los enfoques clásicos de los movimientos sociales han considerado los medios de comunicación como simples herramientas para alcanzar finalidades prefijadas, este artículo reseña una serie de nuevos enfoques... more
Partiendo del asunto que los enfoques clásicos de los movimientos sociales han considerado los medios de comunicación como simples herramientas para alcanzar finalidades prefijadas, este artículo reseña una serie de nuevos enfoques desarrollados por comunicólogos y estudiosos de movimientos sociales, que pretenden ir más allá de una concepción instrumental de la comunicación en la acción colectiva. Estos nuevos enfoques, centrándose en la exploración de las ‘practicas relacionadas con los medios’ de los activistas, revelan la existencia de un complejo ecosistema comunicativo donde diferentes tecnologías se entrelazan continuamente y donde adquieren cada vez más importancia las relaciones, las negociaciones y los conflictos entre viejos y nuevos medios de la comunicación.
Research Interests: New Media, Practice theory, Media Ecology, Social Activism, Social Media, and 14 moreNew Communication Technologies, Activism, Mexico, Movimientos sociales, Redes sociales, Nuevas tecnologías, ICTs, Mexican media studies, Media Practice, Medios digitales, Social Networking & Social Media, Activismo, Nuevos Medios, and Practicas Educativas Mediadas Por Las TIC
Emiliano Treré hace una investigación sobre el colectivo denominado Barrio Nómada. Este es un colectivo de activistas que surge en Ciudad Juarez (México) para rebelarse ‘frente a la muerte’. En este artículo, utilizando diferentes... more
Emiliano Treré hace una investigación sobre el colectivo denominado Barrio Nómada. Este es un colectivo de activistas que surge en Ciudad Juarez (México) para rebelarse ‘frente a la muerte’. En este artículo, utilizando diferentes metodologías cualitativas, Emiliano Treré explora las prácticas comunicativas (en particular en los entornos digitales) del colectivo juarense. En primer lugar, explica la idea de ‘comunicación total’ planteada por el colectivo y sugiere que el término ‘ecología alternativa’ resulta más apropiado para entender el complejo entramado entre viejos y nuevos medios. En segundo término, subraya la importancia de las dinámicas entre dimensiones online y offline en las actividades de los activistas, destacando la importancia de las relaciones cara a cara. Finalmente, investiga las estrategias de Barrio Nómada para ‘resistir’ la naturaleza corporativa y los riesgos relacionados con el uso de plataformas 2.0 como Facebook.
Research Interests: New Media, Social Networking, Digital Media, Political communication, Social Activism, and 14 moreSocial Media, Facebook, Twitter, Alternative Media, Democracy, Mexico, Comunicacion Social, Redes sociales, Nuevas tecnologías, Democracia, Violencia Política, Activismo, Nuevos Medios, and Medios Alternativos de Solución de Conflictos
In 2009 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck L’Aquila, a thirteenth- century city on the mountains of central Italy. The seism caused serious damage to L’Aquila and the surrounding villages, destroying many parts of the medieval centre,... more
In 2009 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck L’Aquila, a thirteenth- century city on the mountains of central Italy. The seism caused serious damage to L’Aquila and the surrounding villages, destroying many parts of the medieval centre, killing more than 300 people and leaving 65,000 people homeless. Immediately after the disaster, numerous citizens of L’Aquila started to use Internet platforms on a massive scale in order to voice their opinions and share information related to the actual situation people were undergoing during the post-earthquake phase (Farinosi & Micalizzi, 2012). These online environments offered citizens new channels for reporting, speaking and acting together and substantially contributed to an explosion of citizen journalism practices. An array of social media platforms, blogs and content-sharing sites was flooded with news, posts, comments, videos and photos related to issues regarding the emergency and the post-emergency situation, daily life in L’Aquila after the devastating earthquake, the city’s rebuilding problems, the recovery efforts and the social re-appropriation of public spaces damaged by the seism. This work explores the production of grassroots information in a context that could be described as “out of the ordinary”. We first provide a review of current literature on the phenomenon of citizen journalism (section 2). Then we illustrate the aims and methods adopted (section 3) and describe and discuss the findings of our research (section 4). Finally we draw some conclusions and sketch some future challenges for research into this topic (section 5).
Research Interests: Earthquake Engineering, Digital Media, Community Media, Social Activism, Social Media, and 4 moreAlternative Media, Online Media, City and Regional Planning, and New media, Social Network Sites and Youth Practices, Youth Online sociability and Identity, Media and Digital Literacies, Participation and Civic Engagement, and Tensions between Public and Private
Research Interests:
"According to several studies, traditional Italian television framed the post- earthquake situation as a “miracle in L’Aquila” and a spectacular of the pain of those involved in the earthquake to impress the TV audience without respect... more
"According to several studies, traditional Italian television framed the post- earthquake situation as a “miracle in L’Aquila” and a spectacular of the pain of those involved in the earthquake to impress the TV audience without respect for the feelings of the victims. In contrast to this situation, it seems that, on the Web, the victims of the tragedy could speak with their own voices without any media- tion.
The aim of this chapter is to explore how the dimension of pain was represent- ed on a cross-media platform – FromZero TV – that documented the lives of the people living in the tent camps after the earthquake tragedy. Using qualitative methodologies (video analysis and interviews), we found that this Web TV of- fered a considerate and balanced representation of pain in relation to the victims of the catastrophe. It also emerged that this platform was able to represent grief in a more respectful way adopting the same words and terms of the affected popula- tion, without having to stick to the rules of the traditional television agenda.
From Zero TV thus represents an interesting “experiment” in how new forms of television on the Internet can offer alternative representations of events and give a voice to ordinary people without having to appeal to the exhibitionism of feelings or to stick to the rules of the traditional media agenda."
The aim of this chapter is to explore how the dimension of pain was represent- ed on a cross-media platform – FromZero TV – that documented the lives of the people living in the tent camps after the earthquake tragedy. Using qualitative methodologies (video analysis and interviews), we found that this Web TV of- fered a considerate and balanced representation of pain in relation to the victims of the catastrophe. It also emerged that this platform was able to represent grief in a more respectful way adopting the same words and terms of the affected popula- tion, without having to stick to the rules of the traditional television agenda.
From Zero TV thus represents an interesting “experiment” in how new forms of television on the Internet can offer alternative representations of events and give a voice to ordinary people without having to appeal to the exhibitionism of feelings or to stick to the rules of the traditional media agenda."
Research Interests: Communication, Media Studies, Journalism, Television Studies, Digital Media, and 22 moreAdvertising, Development communication, Media Education, Media Literacy, TV, Media, Alternative Media, Earthquake, Television, Interactive Art, Media Research, Digital, Social Communication, Newsmaking, Media Coverage, Media Impact and Effects and Usages, Media Control, Alternate Media, Berlusconi Media, Media Manipulation, Public Fear, and Italian Media Landscape
Research Interests:
"The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the emergent Italian Web TV ecosystem. We begin by sketching a summary of the Italian media scenario, focusing on three related aspects: the Rai-Mediaset duopoly, the Berlusconi... more
"The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the emergent Italian Web TV ecosystem. We begin by sketching a summary of the Italian media scenario, focusing on three related aspects: the Rai-Mediaset duopoly, the Berlusconi anomaly and digital
evolution of the TV system. We then switch to the Italian digital resistance scenario and describe some of the most interesting experiences developed in the Italian context. In the third part, we dissect and analyze the phenomenon of Italian Web TVs,
exploring its roots, legal status, producers and audiences. We conclude by providing a reflection on Italian Web TVs as an ecosystem, both by pointing out some future challenges it will face within the Italian media scenario and by focusing on the role of active citizens and unprofessional producers in changing the scenario and in advocating pluralism and creativeness."
evolution of the TV system. We then switch to the Italian digital resistance scenario and describe some of the most interesting experiences developed in the Italian context. In the third part, we dissect and analyze the phenomenon of Italian Web TVs,
exploring its roots, legal status, producers and audiences. We conclude by providing a reflection on Italian Web TVs as an ecosystem, both by pointing out some future challenges it will face within the Italian media scenario and by focusing on the role of active citizens and unprofessional producers in changing the scenario and in advocating pluralism and creativeness."
Research Interests:
Provides an overview of the digital television in Italy
Research Interests:
"The current framework of television is undergoing strong processes of innovation, transformation and diversification. The displacement of the analogue television by digital technologies, the experience of digital terrestrial television,... more
"The current framework of television is undergoing strong processes of innovation, transformation and diversification. The displacement of the analogue television by digital technologies, the experience of digital terrestrial television, satellite TV and cable television, and the new opportunities supplied by the Internet and mobile devices are rapidly changing the television scenario.
After examining the differences between Internet Protocol Television (IP) and Net Television, we describe the general framework of Italian Net TV’s market. Then, we analyze a sub-sector of Net Television which is made up by all the existing Italian University Net TVs.
We argue that University Net TVs can play a very important role characterizing themselves as “knowledge TVs”, improving the quality of the overall programmes of Public and commercial television. These Net TVs might represent an alternative and powerful resource of information and knowledge to niches of audience interested in culture, education and a knowledge-based entertainment.
The reasons that constrain these Net TVs from taking off and becoming active players in the television scenario are: financial and fund-raising problems; the slowness and the extreme bureaucratization of Italian Universities procedures; the extremely fast turnover of students and the absence of a stable University Net TVs network.
Only by solving these problems might the Italian University Net TV really satisfy audience’s need for quality programmes and fully become “knowledge TVs”."
After examining the differences between Internet Protocol Television (IP) and Net Television, we describe the general framework of Italian Net TV’s market. Then, we analyze a sub-sector of Net Television which is made up by all the existing Italian University Net TVs.
We argue that University Net TVs can play a very important role characterizing themselves as “knowledge TVs”, improving the quality of the overall programmes of Public and commercial television. These Net TVs might represent an alternative and powerful resource of information and knowledge to niches of audience interested in culture, education and a knowledge-based entertainment.
The reasons that constrain these Net TVs from taking off and becoming active players in the television scenario are: financial and fund-raising problems; the slowness and the extreme bureaucratization of Italian Universities procedures; the extremely fast turnover of students and the absence of a stable University Net TVs network.
Only by solving these problems might the Italian University Net TV really satisfy audience’s need for quality programmes and fully become “knowledge TVs”."
Research Interests: New Media, Digital Media, Facebook, Online Journalism, Google, and 14 moreYoutube, Digital Marketing, Newsmaking, Media Coverage, Digital Story Telling, Iphones, Emiliano Trere, Media Control, Paywalls, Virtual Revolution, Berlusconi Media, Media Manipulation, Public Fear, and Italian Media Landscape
This article introduces the tenets of a theory of datafication of and in the Souths. It calls for a de-Westernization of critical data studies, in view of promoting a reparation to the cognitive injustice that fails to recognize... more
This article introduces the tenets of a theory of datafication of and in the Souths. It calls for a de-Westernization of critical data studies, in view of promoting a reparation to the cognitive injustice that fails to recognize non-mainstream ways of knowing the world through data. It situates the "Big Data from the South" research agenda as an epistemological, ontological, and ethical program and outlines five conceptual operations to shape this agenda. First, it suggests moving past the "universalism" associated with our interpretations of datafication. Second, it advocates understanding the South as a composite and plural entity, beyond the geographical connotation (i.e., "global South"). Third, it postulates a critical engagement with the decolonial approach. Fourth, it argues for the need to bring agency to the core of our analyses. Finally, it suggests embracing the imaginaries of datafication emerging from the Souths, foregrounding empowering ways of thinking data from the margins.
Research Interests: Social Movements, Latin American Studies, Media Studies, Feminist Theory, Privacy, and 10 moreSurveillance Studies, Feminism and Social Justice, Decolonial Thought, Mass Communication and New Media, Decolonization, Big Data, Decolonial Feminism, Pensamiento decolonial, Critical Data Studies, and Global South, Southern Theory, Epistemology
Treré, E. y Barranquero, A. (2018). Tracing the Roots of Technopolitics: Towards a North-South Dialogue. In SIERRA, F. & GRAVANTE, T. (Eds.), Networks, Movements and Technopolitics in Latin America. Critical Analysis and Current Challenges (pp. 43-63). Cham, Switzerland: A Palgrave & IAMCR Seriesmore
The concept of technopolitics has been increasingly employed to interpret the contemporary uses of communication technologies by social movements and civil society organizations. This chapter tackles the historical and theoretical roots... more
The concept of technopolitics has been increasingly employed to interpret the contemporary uses of communication technologies by social movements and civil society organizations. This chapter tackles the historical and theoretical roots of the notion, by critically examining contributions from different disciplines, regions and strands of literature. First, the chapter outlines the use of technopolitics within technology transfer and scientific innovation, and charts its adoption in studies regarding media and the political sphere. Then, it explores its rediscovery and application at the intersection between the appropriations of Spanish activists and academics, and scrutinizes its extension to Latin America. Next, it examines five key potentialities of the concept, as well as its connections with other recent theorizations, especially derived from Anglo-Saxon scholarship. The chapter concludes by proposing further dialogue between Northern and Southern research communities, as a way to generate more nuanced understandings of everyday activist practices, action research, and socio-political change.
Research Interests:
The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the emergent Italian Web TV ecosystem. We begin by sketching a summary of the Italian media scenario, focusing on three related aspects: the Rai-Mediaset duopoly, the Berlusconi anomaly... more
The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the emergent Italian Web TV ecosystem. We begin by sketching a summary of the Italian media scenario, focusing on three related aspects: the Rai-Mediaset duopoly, the Berlusconi anomaly and digital evolution of the TV ...
Research Interests: Screenwriting, Communication, Education, Media Studies, New Media, and 45 moreMedia and Cultural Studies, Cultural Sociology, Journalism, Social Sciences, Television Studies, Social Networking, Digital Media, Community Development, Virtual Communities, Development communication, Mass Communication, Policy, Media Education, Radio, Political communication, Media Literacy, Local Government and Local Development, Computer Mediated Communication, TV, Media, Convergence, Cinema, The Internet, Television, Film, Broadcasting, Italy, Political Identity, Media Research, Online Media, Politic, Social Communication, Mainstream Media, Newspaper, Reporting, Scripts, Media Impact and Effects and Usages, Media theory and Research, Italian Web TV, Mobile and Location-Based Media, Alternate Media, WebTV, Development Communication, High Tech Bricoleur, and Narrowcasting
Research Interests: Screenwriting, Communication, Education, Media Studies, New Media, and 45 moreMedia and Cultural Studies, Cultural Sociology, Journalism, Social Sciences, Television Studies, Social Networking, Digital Media, Community Development, Virtual Communities, Development communication, Mass Communication, Policy, Media Education, Radio, Political communication, Media Literacy, Local Government and Local Development, Computer Mediated Communication, TV, Media, Convergence, Cinema, The Internet, Television, Film, Broadcasting, Italy, Political Identity, Media Research, Online Media, Politic, Social Communication, Mainstream Media, Newspaper, Reporting, Scripts, Media Impact and Effects and Usages, Media theory and Research, Italian Web TV, Mobile and Location-Based Media, Alternate Media, WebTV, Development Communication, High Tech Bricoleur, and Narrowcasting
Research Interests:
The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the emergent Italian Web TV ecosystem. We begin by sketching a summary of the Italian media scenario, focusing on three related aspects: the Rai-Mediaset duopoly, the Berlusconi anomaly... more
The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the emergent Italian Web TV ecosystem. We begin by sketching a summary of the Italian media scenario, focusing on three related aspects: the Rai-Mediaset duopoly, the Berlusconi anomaly and digital revolution of the TV system. We then switch to the Italian digital resistance scenario and describe some of the most interesting experiences developed in the Italian context. In the third part, we dissect and analyze the phenomenon of Italian Web TVs, exploring its roots, legal status, producers and audiences. We conclude by providing a reflection on Italian Web TVs as an ecosystem, both by pointing out some future challenges it will face within the Italian media scenario and by focusing on the role of active citizens and unprofessional producers in changing the scenario and in advocating pluralism and creativeness.
Research Interests: Communication, Media Studies, New Media, Media and Cultural Studies, Cultural Sociology, and 31 moreJournalism, Social Sciences, Social Networking, Digital Media, Community Development, Virtual Communities, Development communication, Mass Communication, Computer-Mediated Communication, Policy, Media Education, Political communication, Media Literacy, Local Government and Local Development, Media, Television, Broadcasting, Italy, Political Identity, Media Research, Online Media, Politic, Social Communication, Mainstream Media, Media Impact and Effects and Usages, Media theory and Research, Mobile and Location-Based Media, Alternate Media, WebTV, High Tech Bricoleur, and Narrowcasting
An internet meme using the Anonymous’ Guy Fawkes mask ‘going viral’ on Facebook; the hashtag #wearethe99percent launched by the Occupy Wall Street movement being adopted by thousands of internet users; the pictures of the ‘lady in red... more
An internet meme using the Anonymous’ Guy Fawkes mask ‘going viral’ on Facebook; the hashtag #wearethe99percent launched by the Occupy Wall Street movement being adopted by thousands of internet users; the pictures of the ‘lady in red dress’ pepper-sprayed in Gezi Park in Istanbul being turned into a ‘riot icon’; activists debating on WhatsApp which slogan to use in an upcoming demonstration in the Zocalo square of Mexico City. All these examples are manifestations of collective identity, to be understood as the set of operations by means of which social movements define their collective sense of self, who they are and what they stand for (Melucci, 1996), within contemporary social media activism, as the activism conveyed via social network sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media platforms such as those that dominate the landscape of contemporary web communication have played a central role in the process of identity construction. They have been the sites where new collective names, icons, and slogans have been launched, and where a new iconography and lexicon has been forged which has strongly contributing to the emergence of collective actors as Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring, and the Indignados. Yet, so far this importance of collective identity building in social media activism has been overly neglected. While most of the literature in the field has examined the organizational and strategic consequences of social media use for protest purposes, comparatively little research has concerned itself with issues of collective identity and connected forms of expressive, rather than instrumental, communication.
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El presente artículo realiza una sistematización de las corrientes críticas y escépticas acerca del estudio de las redes digitales y de la Web 2.0. En primer lugar, se abordan las críticas relacionadas con el contenido de las plataformas... more
El presente artículo realiza una sistematización de las corrientes críticas y escépticas acerca del estudio de las redes digitales y de la Web 2.0. En primer lugar, se abordan las críticas relacionadas con el contenido de las plataformas digitales y los autores que han subrayado cómo éstas a menudo son espacios de desinformación y superficialidad, donde triunfan la “jibarización” y el amateurismo. En segundo lugar, el artículo aborda enfoques de autores que critican la economía política de las redes, evidenciando cómo estas tecnologías representan espacios de explotación, vigilancia y control de los llamados prosumidores, jugando un papel fundamental en la creación de un nuevo sector de la sociedad denominado cognitariado. A través de esta sistematización, el artículo pretende contribuir a la formación de una opinión que no caiga en las ingenuidades de los optimismos y determinismos tecnológicos, dejar detrás los relatos anecdóticos sobre las oportunidades de las redes digitales y facilitar la creación de visiones críticas respecto a la fiebre por la novedad y la democratización de las plataformas 2.0 que siguen dominando las reflexiones sobre la comunicación digital.
Research Interests:
http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/3418/1518 In this conversation, Geoffrey Pleyers maps and critically reflects on the main battlefields of Latin American struggles, from resistance over land dispossession... more
http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/3418/1518
In this conversation, Geoffrey Pleyers maps and critically reflects on the main battlefields of Latin American struggles, from resistance over land dispossession and extractivism to conflicts over information control and the quality of democracy, from the battle against the neoliberal privatization of public education to the struggles for justice against impunity and violence. He then situates the role of digital media within a multifaceted scenario where powerful mainstream media and political elites are colluded, independent journalists are threatened and struggle to get their voice heard, and governments invest immense resources to spy on citizens and to influence public opinion. While recognizing the importance of the Internet to pursue social change in the Latin American context, Pleyers urges us to look at the broader social, political, and economic picture in order to understand the extent of the transformations on the continent.
In this conversation, Geoffrey Pleyers maps and critically reflects on the main battlefields of Latin American struggles, from resistance over land dispossession and extractivism to conflicts over information control and the quality of democracy, from the battle against the neoliberal privatization of public education to the struggles for justice against impunity and violence. He then situates the role of digital media within a multifaceted scenario where powerful mainstream media and political elites are colluded, independent journalists are threatened and struggle to get their voice heard, and governments invest immense resources to spy on citizens and to influence public opinion. While recognizing the importance of the Internet to pursue social change in the Latin American context, Pleyers urges us to look at the broader social, political, and economic picture in order to understand the extent of the transformations on the continent.
Research Interests:
Résumé: Le processus de numérisation et de diffusion de l'information par internet montre un paysage médiatique en pleine mutation radicale. Les canaux de communication par le web se multiplient ainsi que les dispositifs... more
Résumé: Le processus de numérisation et de diffusion de l'information par internet montre un paysage médiatique en pleine mutation radicale. Les canaux de communication par le web se multiplient ainsi que les dispositifs d'accès, tandis que l'expertise nécessaire pour ...
Research Interests: Design, Directing, Animation, Photography, Web Design, and 17 moreAdvertising, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Screen Audiences, Visual Arts, Fine Arts, Web, User Generated Content, Stage Design, High Tech Bricoluer, Italian media, Cinema and Television, Web Tv, Digital Imaging Devices, CameraWork, Eco Construction, and Media Producers
Abstract: The No Gelmini student movement (also known as Anomalous Wave) is an Italian student movement that emerged in the fall of 2008 to protest against two decrees with force of law that were approved in the summer and afterwards... more
Abstract: The No Gelmini student movement (also known as Anomalous Wave) is an Italian student movement that emerged in the fall of 2008 to protest against two decrees with force of law that were approved in the summer and afterwards converted in law by the Italian ...
The critical web 2.0 literature is of fundamental importance in highlighting the political economy and the neoliberal discourses of new web applications and platforms (Andrejevic, 2004, 2005; Fuchs, 2008, 2009, 2010; Jarrett, 2008;... more
The critical web 2.0 literature is of fundamental importance in highlighting the political economy and the neoliberal discourses of new web applications and platforms (Andrejevic, 2004, 2005; Fuchs, 2008, 2009, 2010; Jarrett, 2008; Scholz, 2008; Zimmer, 2008; Terranova ...
This article applies the information ecology framework to explore Aula C, the headquarters of an Italian student collective that is part of the Anomalous Wave movement. It draws on a multimodal ethnography that includes participant... more
This article applies the information ecology framework to explore Aula C, the headquarters of an Italian student collective that is part of the Anomalous Wave movement. It draws on a multimodal ethnography that includes participant observation and 17 semistructured interviews. Findings highlight the interrelationships among actors, practices, and technologies that constitute a system characterized by diversity, in which members of radical tech groups act as keystone species. By pointing out the coexistence and coevolution of activists and their tools, this article tries to overcome theorizations that do not consider the whole media environment with which activists interact. The newest application, it is shown, may in fact not be the most used technology for activism.
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RESUMEN: Estudios empíricos han señalado que la interacción en las plataformas de los movimientos sociales suele ser muy baja, aunque otros autores argumentan que la Web 2.0 aumenta las posibilidades de participación y de interacción.... more
RESUMEN: Estudios empíricos han señalado que la interacción en las plataformas de los movimientos sociales suele ser muy baja, aunque otros autores argumentan que la Web 2.0 aumenta las posibilidades de participación y de interacción. Este artículo presenta un análisis cuali-cuantitativo de la página Facebook del Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad. El objetivo consiste en investigar si esta página constituye un espacio de diálogo e interacción o si en cambio prevalece una lógica de difusión de contenidos online. Los resultados revelan que Facebook aparece como espacio de publicación de informaciones, no como red para un debate participativo.
ABSTRACT: Empirical studies have pointed out that interaction in the technological platforms used by social movements is usually very low, even if other authors have argued that Web 2.0 increases the possibilities for participation and interaction. This article presents a quali-quantitative analysis of the Facebook page of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity. The aim is to investigate whether this page is a space for dialogue and interaction or whether the dominant logic is the simple diffusion of online content. Results reveal that Facebook appears as a space for the publication of information, rather than a network for building a participatory debate."
ABSTRACT: Empirical studies have pointed out that interaction in the technological platforms used by social movements is usually very low, even if other authors have argued that Web 2.0 increases the possibilities for participation and interaction. This article presents a quali-quantitative analysis of the Facebook page of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity. The aim is to investigate whether this page is a space for dialogue and interaction or whether the dominant logic is the simple diffusion of online content. Results reveal that Facebook appears as a space for the publication of information, rather than a network for building a participatory debate."
Research Interests:
Résumé : Le processus de numérisation et de diffusion de l'information par internet montre un paysage médiatique en pleine mutation radicale. Les canaux de communication par le web se multiplient ainsi que les dispositifs d'accès, tandis... more
Résumé : Le processus de numérisation et de diffusion de l'information par internet montre un paysage médiatique en pleine mutation radicale. Les canaux de communication par le web se multiplient ainsi que les dispositifs d'accès, tandis que l’expertise nécessaire pour les produire devient moins importante. Dans ce nouvel environnement multi-canal, la diversification et l'hybridation des médias sont en train de révolutionner la télévision. Pendant cinquante ans la façon dont la télévision était regardée et produite n'a pas beaucoup changé. Aujourd'hui, ce qui change est surtout la nouvelle imbrication entre les rôles de producteur et de public car les utilisateurs sont en mesure de télécharger leur contenu indépendamment des intermédiaires traditionnels, et de créer leurs propres plates- formes Web TV d'une manière peu coûteuse. Claude Lévi Strauss, en 1962, a développé le concept du bricoleur en l’opposant à la notion d’ingénieur. Selon l'auteur, le bricoleur est capable d'utiliser tous les outils disponibles stockés à partir des anciennes expériences pour mener à terme un projet, même si ces outils n’étaient pas destinés à l'objectif spécifique. Drusian et Riva (2010) ont appliqué ce concept dans le contexte numérique, en décrivant les caractéristiques d'un nouvel acteur de la communication : le bricoleur high-tech. Dans cet article, en nous appuyant sur le concept du bricoleur high-tech, nous allons étudier deux expériences différentes de Web TV en Italie: CrossingTv, une micro WebTV créé à Bologne en 2008, et FEMI, la fédération italienne des Micros web TV créée en 2008. Les deux initiatives exigent le bricoleur, mais elles diffèrent en ce qui concerne le but et les résultats. Grâce à l'exploration de ces deux études de cas, l'article montre quelles sont les différences entre la Web TV et la télévision traditionnelle, plus précisément, comment ces nouvelles plates-formes TV brouillent la distinction entre les producteurs et les consommateurs des médias. Nos résultats mettent en évidence un changement de paradigme dans la façon dont la télévision est produite: le contenu est généré de façon collaborative à travers des feedbacks récursifs entre les producteurs et le public. Nous concluons en exposant certaines des orientations futures pour l'étude de ce moyen d'expression.
Abstract: The media landscape is undergoing radical changes, especially related to the process of digitalization and information circulation through the internet, which increases the number of web channels and the opportunity to access them using multiple devices, and decreases the expertise needed to produce them. In this new digital, multi-channel environment, radical innovation, diversification and media hybridization are revolutionizing television. For over fifty years the way that television is watched and produced has not changed significantly. Today the roles of producers and audiences have blurred because users are able to upload their contents independent of traditional intermediaries, and to create their own Web TV platforms in an inexpensive way. Claude Lévi Strauss in 1962 developed the concept of the bricoleur opposed to the concept of ingénieur. According to the author, the bricoleur is able to use any available tools stocked from previous experience in order to complete a project, even if these tools were not intended for the specific goal. Drusian and Riva (2010) have applied this concept to the digital context describing the features of a new communication actor: the bricoleur high-tech. In this paper, drawing on the concept of the high-tech bricoleur, we will investigate two different Italian Web Television projects, CrossingTv, a micro WebTV created in Bologna in 2006, and FEMI, the Italian federation of Micro web TVs created in 2008. These initiatives both require the bricoleur, but they differ with regard to aim and results. Through the exploration of these two case studies, this paper shows in which ways these Web TV experiences differ from traditional television, specifically, how these new TV platforms clouds the distinction between media producers and media consumers. Our findings highlight a paradigm shift in how television is produced: content is generated collaboratively through recursive feedback between producers and audiences. We conclude by outlining some future directions for the study of this medium.
Abstract: The media landscape is undergoing radical changes, especially related to the process of digitalization and information circulation through the internet, which increases the number of web channels and the opportunity to access them using multiple devices, and decreases the expertise needed to produce them. In this new digital, multi-channel environment, radical innovation, diversification and media hybridization are revolutionizing television. For over fifty years the way that television is watched and produced has not changed significantly. Today the roles of producers and audiences have blurred because users are able to upload their contents independent of traditional intermediaries, and to create their own Web TV platforms in an inexpensive way. Claude Lévi Strauss in 1962 developed the concept of the bricoleur opposed to the concept of ingénieur. According to the author, the bricoleur is able to use any available tools stocked from previous experience in order to complete a project, even if these tools were not intended for the specific goal. Drusian and Riva (2010) have applied this concept to the digital context describing the features of a new communication actor: the bricoleur high-tech. In this paper, drawing on the concept of the high-tech bricoleur, we will investigate two different Italian Web Television projects, CrossingTv, a micro WebTV created in Bologna in 2006, and FEMI, the Italian federation of Micro web TVs created in 2008. These initiatives both require the bricoleur, but they differ with regard to aim and results. Through the exploration of these two case studies, this paper shows in which ways these Web TV experiences differ from traditional television, specifically, how these new TV platforms clouds the distinction between media producers and media consumers. Our findings highlight a paradigm shift in how television is produced: content is generated collaboratively through recursive feedback between producers and audiences. We conclude by outlining some future directions for the study of this medium.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Barrio Nómada es un colectivo de activistas que surge en Ciudad Juarez (México) para rebelarse ‘frente a la muerte’. En este artículo, utilizando diferentes metodologías cualitativas, exploro las prácticas comunicativas (en particular en... more
Barrio Nómada es un colectivo de activistas que surge en Ciudad Juarez (México) para rebelarse ‘frente a la muerte’. En este artículo, utilizando diferentes metodologías cualitativas, exploro las prácticas comunicativas (en particular en los entornos digitales) del colectivo juarense. En primer, evidencio la idea de ‘comunicación total’ planteada por el colectivo y sugiero que el término ‘ecología alternativa’ resulta más apropiado para entender el complejo entramado entre viejos y nuevos medios. En segundo término, subrayo la importancia de las dinámicas entre dimensiones online y offline en las actividades de los activistas, destacando la importancia de las relaciones cara a cara. Finalmente, investigo las estrategias de Barrio Nómada para ‘resistir’ la naturaleza corporativa y los riesgos relacionados con el uso de plataformas 2.0 como Facebook.
Research Interests: New Media, Social Sciences, Social Networking, Digital Media, Virtual Communities, and 19 moreComputer-Mediated Communication, Political communication, Facebook, Alternative Media, Online Journalism, Google, Youtube, Political Identity, Online Media, Digital Marketing, Digital Story Telling, Iphones, Ciudad Juarez, Media theory and Research, Barrio Nomada, Total Communication, Mobile and Location-Based Media, Paywalls, and Virtual Revolution
On the 6th April 2009 at 3.32AM local time a 6.3Mw magnitude earthquake struck in L’Aquila, a small city in the centre of Italy, causing the death of more than 300 people. This tragic event led to a prompt increase in the use of internet... more
On the 6th April 2009 at 3.32AM local time a 6.3Mw magnitude earthquake struck in L’Aquila, a small city in the centre of Italy, causing the death of more than 300 people. This tragic event led to a prompt increase in the use of internet technologies by local citizens who utilized platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and blogs in order to reconstruct online the offline local public spaces of communication which had been damaged or destroyed by the quake.
A year after the tragedy, to protest against the Italian state due to the problem of the debris that continued to be unremoved from the historical city centre, some citizens decided to fled into the streets with their wheelbarrows and autonomously remove the rubble: a new movement had emerged which would have later been labelled as “the people of the wheelbarrows”. These people aim at involving the citizenship in the decisional processes regarding L’Aquila reconstruction, in contrast to the government’s bottom-up strategies. Moreover, they want to promote transparency in the management of the disaster funds and to re-open the militarized “red zone” created in the city centre. Finally, the movement wants to make the public opinion aware of the issue of the debris removal and the urgent need for the historical centre reconstruction.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the internet related practices of the actors of “the people of the wheelbarrows”. With the triangulation of semi-structured interviews, a content analysis of the movement’s official Facebook group and a combination of online and offline ethnography, we try to answer to the following research questions: how do the people of the wheelbarrows interact with the internet to organize collective action? How is the movement participation articulated between online spaces and offline squares, meetings and events? Our findings highlight the importance of the local dimension and the interplay between the online and the offline dimensions (Bennett, 2003, 2005; Loader 2008). Moreover, the pivotal role played by Facebook in conjunction with a variety of other social platforms calls for an ecological approach in the study of social movements and the internet (Kavada, 2009; Mattoni, 2009; Padovani, 2010).
A year after the tragedy, to protest against the Italian state due to the problem of the debris that continued to be unremoved from the historical city centre, some citizens decided to fled into the streets with their wheelbarrows and autonomously remove the rubble: a new movement had emerged which would have later been labelled as “the people of the wheelbarrows”. These people aim at involving the citizenship in the decisional processes regarding L’Aquila reconstruction, in contrast to the government’s bottom-up strategies. Moreover, they want to promote transparency in the management of the disaster funds and to re-open the militarized “red zone” created in the city centre. Finally, the movement wants to make the public opinion aware of the issue of the debris removal and the urgent need for the historical centre reconstruction.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the internet related practices of the actors of “the people of the wheelbarrows”. With the triangulation of semi-structured interviews, a content analysis of the movement’s official Facebook group and a combination of online and offline ethnography, we try to answer to the following research questions: how do the people of the wheelbarrows interact with the internet to organize collective action? How is the movement participation articulated between online spaces and offline squares, meetings and events? Our findings highlight the importance of the local dimension and the interplay between the online and the offline dimensions (Bennett, 2003, 2005; Loader 2008). Moreover, the pivotal role played by Facebook in conjunction with a variety of other social platforms calls for an ecological approach in the study of social movements and the internet (Kavada, 2009; Mattoni, 2009; Padovani, 2010).
Research Interests:
Reseña del libro: Marí Sáez, V. (2011). Comunicar para transformar, transformar para comunicar. Tecnologías de la información desde una perspectiva de cambio social. Madrid, España: Editorial Popular, 235 pp.
Research Interests: Social Change, Social Movements, New Media, Digital Media, Civil Society, and 12 moreComunicacion Social, Movimientos sociales, Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil - ONG, Desarrollo Sustentable, España, Big Data, TICs aplicadas a la Educacion, Sociedade civil, Sociedad De La Información. Sociedad Del Conocimiento. Educación Universitaria, Comunicación para el desarrollo y el cambio social, Medios digitales, and Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação (TIC) na Educação
This is a review of the following book: Pui-Lam Law, ed., New Connectivities in China: Virtual, Actual and Local Interactions (New York: Springer, 2012), 234 pp., US$139 Please cite as: Treré, E. (2013). The Digital Face of... more
This is a review of the following book: Pui-Lam Law, ed., New Connectivities in China: Virtual, Actual and Local Interactions (New York: Springer, 2012), 234 pp., US$139
Please cite as: Treré, E. (2013). The Digital Face of Contemporary China [Review of the book New Connectivities in China: Virtual, Actual and Local Interactions, by Pui-Lam Law (ed.)]. Transfers, 3(3), 146-148.
Please cite as: Treré, E. (2013). The Digital Face of Contemporary China [Review of the book New Connectivities in China: Virtual, Actual and Local Interactions, by Pui-Lam Law (ed.)]. Transfers, 3(3), 146-148.
Research Interests:
El objetivo de este breve ensayo es proporcionar una serie de reflexiones cristalizadas en un ‘decálogo crítico’, que surge de la literatura que trata la relación entre los movimientos sociales y las tecnologías de la comunicación, y... more
El objetivo de este breve ensayo es proporcionar una serie de reflexiones cristalizadas en un ‘decálogo crítico’, que surge de la literatura que trata la relación entre los movimientos sociales y las tecnologías de la comunicación, y desde el trabajo empírico que he realizado
los últimos cinco años con movimientos sociales y prácticas comunicativas en Italia y en México, que sirvan para cuestionar y problematizar las visiones simplistas y tecnodeterministas
sobre movimientos y medios; y, al mismo tiempo, a delinear unas rutas prometedoras en futuros estudios acerca de estos fenómenos. Precisamente, el concepto de mediación, en la perspectiva de Jesús Martín-Barbero, resulta fundamental para poder delinear estas futuras rutas prometedoras.
los últimos cinco años con movimientos sociales y prácticas comunicativas en Italia y en México, que sirvan para cuestionar y problematizar las visiones simplistas y tecnodeterministas
sobre movimientos y medios; y, al mismo tiempo, a delinear unas rutas prometedoras en futuros estudios acerca de estos fenómenos. Precisamente, el concepto de mediación, en la perspectiva de Jesús Martín-Barbero, resulta fundamental para poder delinear estas futuras rutas prometedoras.
Research Interests:
El presente artículo realiza una sistematización de las corrientes críticas y escépticas acerca del estudio de las redes digitales y de la Web 2.0. En primer lugar, se abordan las críticas relacionadas con el contenido de las... more
El presente artículo realiza una sistematización de las corrientes críticas y escépticas acerca del estudio de las redes digitales y de la Web 2.0. En primer lugar, se abordan las críticas relacionadas con el contenido de las plataformas digitales y los autores que han subrayado cómo éstas a menudo son espacios de desinformación y superficialidad, donde triunfan la “jibarización” y el amateurismo. En segundo lugar, el artículo aborda enfoques de autores que critican la economía política de las redes, evidenciando cómo estas tecnologías representan espacios de explotación, vigilancia y control de los llamados prosumidores, jugando un papel fundamental en la creación de un nuevo sector de la sociedad denominado cognitariado. A través de esta sistematización, el artículo pretende contribuir a la formación de una opinión que no caiga en las ingenuidades de los optimismos y determinismos tecnológicos, dejar detrás los relatos anecdóticos sobre las oportunidades de las redes digitales y facilitar la creación de visiones críticas respecto a la fiebre por la novedad y la democratización de las plataformas 2.0 que siguen dominando las reflexiones sobre la comunicación digital.
Research Interests: Critical Theory, New Media, Web 2.0, Social Networks, Political Economy of Communication, and 11 moreDigital Media, Surveillance Studies, Social Media, Facebook, The Internet, Prospectiva y Vigilancia Tecnológica, Redes sociales, Amateurism, Desinformacion, Digital Labour, and Economia Politica De La Comunicacion
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Este pequeño ensayo pretende reflexionar críticamente sobre las trasformaciones sociales debidas a los medios digitales que están cambiando profundamente nuestras sociedades. Este trabajo está dividido en dos partes. En la primera parte... more
Este pequeño ensayo pretende reflexionar críticamente sobre las trasformaciones sociales debidas a los medios digitales que están cambiando profundamente nuestras sociedades. Este trabajo está dividido en dos partes. En la primera parte realizo un sucinto recorrido por la historia de la Red, haciendo un especial énfasis en la paralela evolución del activismo digital. En la segunda parte, proporcionaré algunas reflexiones acerca de la evolución de la Red y de los paralelos cambios experimentados en el entorno del activismo, tanto desde el punto de vista conceptual como metodológico.
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Abstract Studies on social movements and activism online have usually focused on 'particular'portions of the internet, such as web sites (della Porta and Mosca, 2005; Stein, 2009; Van Aelst and Walgrave, 2004),... more
Abstract Studies on social movements and activism online have usually focused on 'particular'portions of the internet, such as web sites (della Porta and Mosca, 2005; Stein, 2009; Van Aelst and Walgrave, 2004), mailing lists (Kavada, 2010; Wall, 2007), blogs ( ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Inaugural blog essay which lays the conceptual foundations of the newly formed 'Big Data from the South' research network, and aims at generating a vibrant conversation, and a new research agenda around these issues
Research Interests: Critical Theory, Social Movements, Latin American Studies, Epistemology, Digital Media, and 17 moreData Analysis, Southeast Asia, Resistance (Social), Social Media, Critical Media Studies, South American indigenous languages, Algorithm, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Citizenship, Latin America, Epistemología, South Africa, Infrastructure, Citizen participation, Big Data, Cartagena, and Epistemologías del Sur
My contribution to the RE.FRAMING ACTIVISM Blog
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Current internet research has been influenced by application developers and computer engineers who see the development of the Web as being divided into three different stages: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. This article will argue that... more
Current internet research has been influenced by application developers and computer engineers who see the development of the Web as being divided into three different stages: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. This article will argue that this understanding – although important when analysing the political economy of the Web – can have serious limitations when applied to everyday contexts and the lived experience of technologies. Drawing from the context of the Italian student movement, we show that the division between Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is often deconstructed by activists’ media practices. Therefore, we highlight the importance of developing an approach that – by focusing on practice – draws attention to the interplay between Web platforms rather than their transition. This approach, we believe, is essential to the understanding of the complex relationship between Web developments, human negotiations and everyday social contexts.
Research Interests:
Location: Cartagena, Colombia Date and Time: July 15, 2017, 10am-6pm Conference Description: Critical scholarship has exposed how big data brings along new and opaque regimes of population management, control, and discrimination. Building... more
Location: Cartagena, Colombia Date and Time: July 15, 2017, 10am-6pm Conference Description: Critical scholarship has exposed how big data brings along new and opaque regimes of population management, control, and discrimination. Building on this scholarship, this pre-conference engages in a dialogue with traditions that critique the dominance of Western approaches to datacation that do not recognize the diversity of the Global South. Moving from datacation to data activism, this event will examine the diverse ways through which citizens and the organized civil society in the Global South engage in bottom-up data practices for social change as well as resistance to " dark " uses of big data that increase oppression and inequality. Call for Proposal: We accept abstract in both English and Spanish. Send your 300 – 500 word abstract to: iamcr2017@data-activism.net. Abstracts must be received by 23:59 GMT on 1 March. Datacation has dramatically altered the way we understand the world around us. The phenomenon of " Big Data " , tinted with the narratives of positivism and modernization, has been widely praised for its revolutionary possibilities especially in the elds of politics and citizen participation. But big data is not without risks and threats, as some critical voices within media studies and neighbouring disciplines remind us. These argue that big data is not merely a technological issue or a ywheel of knowledge and change, but a 'mythology' that we ought to interrogate and critically engage with (boyd & Crawford, 2012; Couldry & Powell, 2014; Mosco, 2014; Tufekci, 2014). " Critical data studies " increasingly question the potential inequality and discrimination as well as exclusion harboured by the mechanisms of big data and the associated policies (Gangadharan, 2012; Dalton, Taylor, & Thatcher, 2016). Yet, most of these analyses emerged in a Western, post-industrial context and narrative, often ignoring the specicities of datacation " from the South ". The consequences of these new regimes of data inequality and discrimination, however, are particularly acute in the Global South, where they intersect with other practices of social and political oppression, and where fewer tools are available to citizens to ght back the novel incarnations of data power promoted and imposed by institutions, governments, and corporations alike. We propose to approach " big data
Research Interests: Social Movements, Algorithms, New Media, Globalization, Digital Media, and 13 moreSocial Justice, Southeast Asia, Discrimination, Resistance (Social), Social Media, The Internet, Global South, Civil Society, Latin America, Movimientos sociales, Poverty and Inequality, Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil - ONG, and Big Data
This article presents findings from an empirical study of repertoires of contention and communication engaged during anti-austerity protests by the Indignados in Spain, the precarious generation in Italy, and the Aganaktismenoi in Greece.... more
This article presents findings from an empirical study of repertoires of contention and communication engaged during anti-austerity protests by the Indignados in Spain, the precarious generation in Italy, and the Aganaktismenoi in Greece. Drawing on 60 semi-structured interviews with activists and independent media producers involved in the 2011 wave of contention, we bring together social movement and communications theoretical frameworks to present a comparative critical analysis of digital protest media imaginaries. After examining the different socio-political and protest media contexts of the three countries translocally, our critical analysis emphasizes the emergence of three different imaginaries: in Spain the digital protest media imaginary was technopolitical, grounded in the politics and political economies of communication technologies emerging from the free culture movement; in Italy this imaginary was techno-fragmented, lacking cohesion, and failed to bring together old and new protest media logics; and finally in Greece it was techno-pragmatic, envisioned according to practical objectives that reflected the diverse politics and desires of media makers rather than the strictly technological or political affordances of the digital media forms and platforms. This research reveals how pivotal the temporal and geographical dimensions are when analyzed using theoretical perspectives from both communications and social movement research; moreover it emphasizes the importance of studying translocal digital protest media imaginaries as they shape movement repertoires of contention and communication; both elements are crucial to better understanding the challenges, limitations, successes and opportunities for digital protest media.
Research Interests: European History, Social Movements, European Studies, Political Economy, Communication, and 9 moreDigital Media, Anarchism, Political communication, Social Media, Protest Movements, Protest and resistance, Social Media Activism ,Online Protest activism, Media and Cultural Studies / Cultural Theory / Imaginary of Political Violence / Film, Propaganda and Violence / Cuban Culture, and Anti austerity Protests
This chapter explores the past, assesses the present and delineates the future of a media practice approach to citizen media. The first section provides an extensive overview of the different currents in research on media practices,... more
This chapter explores the past, assesses the present and delineates the future of a media practice approach to citizen media. The first section provides an extensive overview of the different currents in research on media practices, identifying the antecedents of the media practice approach in several theoretical traditions and highlighting possible points of convergence between them. Hence, we ground the roots of the practice approach in Latin American communication and media studies, we scrutinize Couldry's conceptualization in connection to theories of practices within the social sciences, and we examine audience research, media anthropology, social movement studies, citizen and alternative media, and Communication for Development and Social Change. The second section takes stock of the current 'state of the art' of practice-focused research on citizen and activist media and develops a critical assessment of how the concept of media practices has been used in recent literature, identifying key strengths and shortcomings. In this section, we also discuss the integration of media practices with other concepts, such as mediation, mediatization, media ecologies, media archeology, media imaginaries, and the public sphere. The third section delineates future directions for research on citizen media and practice, reflecting on some of the challenges facing this growing interdisciplinary field. Here, we illustrate how the media practice approach provides a powerful framework for researching the pressing challenges posed by mediatization and datafication. Further, we highlight the need for deeper theoretical engagement, underline the necessity of dialogue between different traditions, and point out some unresolved issues and limitations. The chapter concludes with an outline of the contributions to this edited collection.