Di.G.I.T.: Digital practices, Gender, and Intimacy in Teens’ everyday life.

  • Years: 2023-2025
  • Scientific Coordinator: Cosimo Marco Scarcelli, FISPPA, Università degli Studi di Padova
  • Partners: Sapienza Università di Roma, Link Campus University
  • Funding: PRIN 2022
  • Scientific Responsible: Cosimo Marco Scarcelli, FISPPA, Università degli Studi di Padova

Abstract

Teens use digital media to explore and experiment with intimacy and their gender identities, develop interpersonal relationships and community connections and access identity-specific resources and services from the relative safety of anonymity. The aim of this project is to analyse how Italian teens (re)define their understanding of gender and intimacy by engaging with digital media and incorporating it into their daily lives. 

The project has 4 main objectives:

  • producing an important contribution for the field of gender and media studies in terms of knowledge about digital media, young people, gender identities and intimacy;
  • promoting relevant transformative cultural changes by providing accessible instruments to educators and policymakers;
  • promoting teens’ critical literacy and gender awareness, helping them to better understand and question the logic of platforms and digital media; and
  • consolidating and formalising a national research group that can strengthen international collaboration. 

To address these goals, after a systematic literature review, a multilevel mixed-methods approach will be implemented across four main phases of research activities that will involve teens aged 15–18 from different Italian regions. The main research activities will be as follows: 1) Focus groups will employ visual design methods to explore the field; 2) Face-to-face semi-structured interviews will be used to explore the relationship between digital practices, gender and intimacy in teens’ everyday lives; 3) A national survey will be used to generalise the qualitative results; and 4) Final dissemination. 

The methodological rationale entails the creation and coordination of a Young Researchers Group (YRG) that will comprise youths aged 15–18 with different gender identities and sexual orientations. The YRG will support the entire research project by participating in the co-construction of the instruments for the empirical work and in the design of formative events and communicative artefacts.

Research Area: TECHNOSCIENTIFIC ISSUES IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE