Course contents
Digital technologies are pivotal within contemporary communication and cultural processes. The Laboratory in Communication and Cultural Studies aims at exposing students to a range of concepts and theories useful to critically understand the complexity of cultural processes in the digital era. In particular, the course will focus on consumer culture, which logics shape the functioning of the main digital platforms (Google, Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb, Amazon, etc.).
The Laboratory will also host presentations by practitioners from digital media companies. The aim is to show students how theories covered during the frontal lessons can be translated into actual marketing, business and management strategies.
The Laboratory will cover, mainly, the following topics: digital affordances, social media, big data, algorithms, virality, meme culture, digital identity, social media influencers, brand communities, brand publics.
Further information
The exam for attending students includes two components: group work + multiple choice test.
Non-Attending students will do an oral examination, based on the following materials:
1) ADAM ARVIDSSON, ALESSANDRO DELFANTI, Introduzione ai media digitali (first or second edition, there is no difference)
2) HENRY JENKINS, Cultura convergente (https://www.ibs.it/cultura-convergente-libro-henry-jenkins/e/9788838787768). ONLY Introduction + 1 Chapter of your choice
(An English free version here: https://www.hse.ru/data/2016/03/15/1127638366/Henry%20Jenkins%20Convergence%20culture%20where%20old%20and%20new%20media%20collide%20%202006.pdf)
3) Pick 2 articles from the reading list below
Readings
Caliandro, A. (2014), Ethnography in Digital Spaces: Ethnography of Virtual Worlds, Netnography, and Digital Ethnography, in P. Sunderland, and R. Denny (eds), Handbook of Anthropology in Business, London: Routledge, pp. 658-679. (eBook ISBN: 9781315427850), [Scaricate l’articolo da questo link: https://www.academia.edu/20007715/Ethnography_in_Digital_Spaces_Ethnography_of_Virtual_Worlds_Netnography_and_Digital_Ethnography].
Caliandro, A. & Barina, A. (2015), Twitter come device civico per la materializzazione del pubblico e del discorso politico: il caso delle Primarie del Centro Sinistra 2012. Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia, 2/2015, pp. 233-264.
Arvidsson, A., & Caliandro, A. (2016). Brand public. Journal of Consumer Research, 42(5), 727-748.
Arvidsson, A., Caliandro, A., Airoldi, M., & Barina, S. (2016). Crowds and value. Italian directioners on Twitter. Information, Communication & Society, 19(7), 921-939.
Splendore, S., Caliandro, A. & Airoldi, M. (2016), Twittare le news: strategie comunicative del giornalismo italiano. Uno studio di caso di tre redazioni, Comunicazione Politica, 2016/1, pp. 87-106.
Caliandro, A. (2018). Digital methods for ethnography: Analytical concepts for ethnographers exploring social media environments. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 47(5), 551-578.
Simunjak, M. & Caliandro, A. (2019), Twiplomacy in the Age of Donald Trump: Disrupting or Constructing Digital Diplomacy?, The Information Society, 35(1), 13-25.
Bainotti, L., Caliandro, A. & Gandini, A. (2020). From archive cultures to ephemeral content, and back: studying Instagram Stories with digital methods. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820960071
Caliandro, A., Anselmi, G. & Sturiale, V. (2020). Fake news, Covid-19 e Infodemia: un esempio di ricerca sociale in real-time su Twitter. Mediascapes Journal, Creative Commons, ISSN: 2282-2542, https://ojs.uniroma1.it/index.php/mediascapes/article/view/17105
Caliandro, A., Garavaglia, E., Anselmi, G. (2021), Studying ageism on social media: an exploration of ageing discourses related to Covid-19 in the Italian Twittersphere. Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia, 2/2021, April-June, pp. 343-375.
Caliandro, A. & Anselmi, G. (2021). Affordances-based brand relations: an inquire on memetic brands on Instagram, Social Media + Society, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20563051211021367.
Caliandro, A., Garavaglia, E. Sturiale, V. & Di Leva, A. (2021). Older People and Smartphone Practices in Everyday Life: An Inquire on Digital Sociality of Italian Older Users, The Communication Review, 1-32, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10714421.2021.1904771.
DIGITAL NATIVES, le seguenti 2 letture (sono due brevi saggi che valgono come un articolo):
• Prensky M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, https://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
• Caliandro A. (2017). The myth of digital natives and the reality of young social capitalists https://advprmedia.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/the-myth-of-digital-natives-and-the-reality-of-young-social-capitalists/
NOTE. All the articles are available online (es. Google Scholar) or through our ‘Sistema Bibliotecario di Ateneo’ web portal. Anyway, please contact the teacher in the unlikely case that some articles are not available.
Sustainable development goals - Agenda 2030
This course aims at meeting the following goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda:
GOAL 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns – and, in particular, the following sub-goals:
- 12.2
- 12.5
Specifically, the course provides and suggests to attending students only digital learning materials. As far as non-attending students are concerned, there is only a printed manual suggested (over two) – the rest of the readings are all in digital format.
GOAL 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all - and, in particular, the following sub-goals:
- 4.3
- 4.4
Specifically, all the course’s lectures will be recorded (audio + video) and made available to all the students - (independently from their possibility to be physically present at the University).
Furthermore, the course will provide students with both theoretical and techno-practical knowledge, which will be useful to increase students’ professional skills – (as a matter of fact the final exam consists in creating (through a group work) a viral marketing content).
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