This area of research reflects on the role of contemporary media technologies in social and cultural life. By exploring the ways in which media and everyday life are intertwined, and focusing on various questions related to the constantly reshaping relations between media and society, this area addresses broader questions of modernity and social change.

The research area integrates perspectives from Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and STS. It focuses on content analysis and media representation, practices and media use in everyday life, and the relationship between innovation and the technical evolution of media technologies. Research methods range from ethnographic approaches to diverse qualitative and quantitative media analyses, from action research to big data and computational methods.

Our research projects examine the multiple meanings of media in society, focusing on technological and cultural changes in 4 main areas:

•           Digital media, identity, and social relations: focusing on the role of digital media in the processes of identity construction, interaction, and social relations. The analyzed topics relate to ways of representing and managing the self on digital platforms and in different kinds of mediated interactions, with specific attention to gender and sexuality dimensions.
•           Media and technological innovation: studying the relationship between technological innovation and the evolution of media practices and materiality, from both a historical point of view and in relation to the evolution of digital media in contemporary society. Specific attention is paid to digital platforms, internet-based media, and emerging technologies such as blockchain, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.
•           Media and intimacies: focuses on the relationship between media and everyday levels of intimacy (sexuality, love, emotions, friendship, kinship, etc.) with attention to the roles of digital media technologies in transforming the realm of intimacy and the way people connect and disconnect in their personal lives. Our research examines how digital intimacies manifest in various contexts, the forms they can take today, and particularly focuses on monetized sociality, algorithmic and platform intimacy, digital love and romance, the governance of platform intimacy, online sexual activities (cybersex, sexting, online sex work, etc.), and the consumption of pornography.
•           Digital media and education: research dedicated specifically to the relationship between technologies and educational processes, emphasizing digital literacy and its relationship with social and cultural capital. Pa.S.T.I.S. also offers workshops and training for young people and adults (parents, teachers, and educators) regarding the critical use of digital media.

Projects

• Di.G.I.T.: Digital practices, Gender, and Intimacy in Teens’ everyday life.
• GIVRE- Gendering Internet. Violence, Resilience and Empowerment in digital spaces
• Digital Innovation in the Context of SMEs: A Transdisciplinary Approach
• Ruolo della tecnologia digitale nell’inclusione sociale dei migranti forzati

Contact person

Marco Scarcelli

Paolo Magaudda