Federica Nunziata

THE POLITICS OF INFLUENCERS

Digital platforms play a major role in the rise, success and decline of the political players of the new era. On the Internet, the dynamics of agenda setting not only involve traditional political actors, but also influencers and digital opinion leaders who assume a new centrality in public debate. This article examines the relationship between politics and influencers in the digital environment, defining its main trends and potential risks. Firstly, it proposes a reflection on the processes and mechanisms that triggered this connection, starting from the crisis of intermediate bodies and their traditional role of mediation, up to the emergence of new protagonists who autonomously interpret politics by exploiting digital disintermediation. Secondly, it identifies and explores three aspects of this relationship: the recruitment of influencers, as a widespread practice in the context of campaigns both as an endorsement to a candidate, and to mobilize citizens – especially the younger ones – to vote; the spontaneous and on-demand involvement of digital creators on specific political and social issues, i.e. influencers who use the popularity gained on social networks to influence users’ opinions and political choices, or in some cases to actually run for political roles; the new forms of political leadership that build their image and influence through digital media, assuming the traits of actual influencers lent to politics, or political influencers. In conclusion, some perspective considerations will be drawn on the relationship between politics and influencers in the overall context of the platformization of politics

KEYWORDS: Influencers, Political Influencers, Digital Opinion Leaders, Digital Platforms, Political Communication

LEGGI QUI: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.53227/107479 

Laura Minguzzi

A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING POLITICAL COMMUNICATION: THE SPECTRE OF POPULISM ONLINE

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated major changes in contemporary society, particularly in regard to communication. Within the political sphere, leaders had to increasingly rely on social media to communicate with the electorate. In many countries, this transition, far from affecting only the period of pandemic emergency, has gone hand in hand with the contemporary populist wave. The paper aims to investigate how political communication of party leaders on social media has been influenced by «populist rhetoric», focusing on the pandemic influence on this shift. This was done by comparing the Facebook posts of populist and mainstream party leaders in three different Western European countries – Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain – and analyzing the language they used to interact with followers, starting from, with a comparison of periods before and after the pandemic. We identified four essential characteristics of populism Chameleon nature, Manichaean dialectic, Anti-elitism, and Charismatic leadership – which provide the theoretical basis for the content analysis carried out on the reference sample. These changes were observed in a period of rapid socio-cultural transformation. Indeed, the pandemic seems to have pushed the leaders of the parties analyzed toward a more populist vocabulary, even when they were not originally leaders of parties definable as such. This could be traced back to the inherent characteristics of social media, which rely more on the visual medium than on written text; prompting leaders to rely on more direct and impactful rhetoric to convey their message. However, «populist contagion» goes beyond the simple use of communication techniques, and the results of the analysis seem to confirm how populist rhetoric also affects the way leaders (and thus parties) choose to address certain policy and programmatic issues, moving them, in some cases, away from their traditional agendas

KEYWORDS: Populism, Political Communication, Social Media, Content Analysis, Personal Leadership

LEGGI QUI: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.53227/107481

Federica Nunziata

THE POLITICS OF INFLUENCERS

Digital platforms play a major role in the rise, success and decline of the political players of the new era. On the Internet, the dynamics of agenda setting not only involve traditional political actors, but also influencers and digital opinion leaders who assume a new centrality in public debate. This article examines the relationship between politics and influencers in the digital environment, defining its main trends and potential risks. Firstly, it proposes a reflection on the processes and mechanisms that triggered this connection, starting from the crisis of intermediate bodies and their traditional role of mediation, up to the emergence of new protagonists who autonomously interpret politics by exploiting digital disintermediation. Secondly, it identifies and explores three aspects of this relationship: the recruitment of influencers, as a widespread practice in the context of campaigns both as an endorsement to a candidate, and to mobilize citizens – especially the younger ones – to vote; the spontaneous and on-demand involvement of digital creators on specific political and social issues, i.e. influencers who use the popularity gained on social networks to influence users’ opinions and political choices, or in some cases to actually run for political roles; the new forms of political leadership that build their image and influence through digital media, assuming the traits of actual influencers lent to politics, or political influencers. In conclusion, some perspective considerations will be drawn on the relationship between politics and influencers in the overall context of the platformization of politics

KEYWORDS: Influencers, Political Influencers, Digital Opinion Leaders, Digital Platforms, Political Communication

LEGGI QUI: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.53227/107479 

Alfonso Amendola, Martina Masullo

ELECTION AND SOCIAL NETWORK: THE EFFECT OF (ULTRA)POP POLITICS ON Z GENERATION

The election campaign for the 2022 Italian general elections was the most social ever. The determination to intercept the new voter – member of Z generation – made the political leaders of the main parties approach the social universe without actually fully knowing its operating rules. However, despite the fact that politicians have for months inhabited the same «places», used the same hashtags, and participated in the same challenges, the young and very young continue to perceive their language as distant from that typical of Z generation. This is confirmed by a survey conducted by Freeda on a sample of voters under-34: in 80% of cases, voters do not feel represented either by the content published through social media by political leaders or by the election programs proposed by parties. The decision on the part of Italian politics to be present on the main social media platforms constitutes the pursuit of a transformation that was already under way – and is, still today, in continuous evolution – towards the concept of «pop politics», whereby political discourse is no lonmger seen as being of a higher level, but rather uses the process of disintermediation as a solid basis from which to branch out into the dimension of intimate politics. The electoral race no longer develops within well-defined and precise temporal boundaries but becomes a «permanent campaign». Starting from these theoretical assumptions, the aim of this paper is to examine the main strategies introduced in the social sphere by Italian political leaders during the 2022 elections and intercept the effects they had on Z generation to understand how much they really affected the voting choices of post millennials. By reviewing the most popular trends and content published during the election campaign – with an eye always on televised political propaganda, which is the indispensable starting point for examining the new languages of contemporary politics – we will come to draw a broad and complete picture of the contemporary social-political universe

KEYWORDS: Pop-politics, Z Generation, Social Network, Berlusconism, TikTok

LEGGI QUI: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.53227/107480

Valentina Reda

AI DIGITAL EDUCATION AND THE (HYPER)PERSONALIZATION CHALLENGE

KEYWORDS: Ai, GenAi, Higher Education 4.0, Mooc, Ai-Tutoring, Personalization

LEGGI QUI: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.53227/113718

Daniele Battista

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A BALANCE BETWEEN MANIPULATION AND PARTICIPATION

The current technological landscape has been profoundly shaped by the rapid and significant advances related to Artificial intelligence (Ai), sparking extraordinary interest in academia and beyond. This innovative development has fueled a wide debate on its political, social, and ethical impacts, raising important questions that require multidisciplinary insights and investigations. In particular, whether its integration into the policy context represents a promising opportunity to improve the efficiency of policy decisions and increase the accountability of institutions is being debated. The objective of this article makes it essential to fully understand the implications and potential consequences of applying Ai in the policy arena. Furthermore, it is of paramount importance to assess whether such initiatives can truly be considered democratic or whether they represent a dangerous trend toward the use of an algorithm for manipulative purposes. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, the research methodology will adopt a deductive approach that will be based on an in-depth analysis of the narratives, imaginaries and expectations regarding Ai in this specific dimension. This study aims to make a significant contribution to the understanding of the complex dynamics within the disruptive issue, offering a critical perspective and a comprehensive picture of the multiple contexts involved in its use.

Michele Barbieri

A SUBTLE HYPOCRISY: INSIGHTS INTO THE ITALIAN POLITICS’ INERTIA ON THE COUNTER-DISINFORMATION POLICY

 Disinformation has become a significant concern in the digital age, particularly with the proliferation of social networks. This phenomenon poses a threat to Western democracies, as it can manipulate public opinion, fuel political polarization, and facilitate the spread of fake news. The mechanisms provided by digital platforms have played a pivotal role in promoting the so-called «post-truth» era, enabling the dissemination of misleading narratives and the manipulation of public opinion. The Italian context began to prioritise the issue of disinformation after the notorious «Facebook-Cambridge Analytica» scandal. However, despite empirical evidence demonstrating the dangers of disinformation, the Italian political system has not adopted regulatory measures to address the issue. This essay aims to analyse the stance of the major Italian political parties and explore why the Italian political apparatus has not taken adequate action to ensure transparency, reliability, and trustworthiness within the digital media information ecosystem. To achieve this goal, a qualitative analysis of Italian political party leaders’ Facebook posts from 2018 to 2021 will be conducted, to identify how the issue of disinformation is framed and understood by political actors. By detecting convergences or divergences in the narratives and strategies employed, valuable insights into the parties’ approaches to disinformation can be gleaned. The findings of this study will shed light on the configuration of the issue within the Italian politics, providing explanations for the lack of regulatory tools and institutional responses to counter disinformation. Finally, understanding how the major political parties in Italy perceive and address disinformation is crucial for safeguarding the integrity of democratic processes and fostering public trust in the digital media information system.

KEYWORDS: Online Disinformation, Counter-Disinformation Policy, Disinformation Politics, Italian Case, Social Media.

LEGGI QUI: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.53227/113722

Sara Concetta Santoriello, Agostino Stavolo

MILLENNIALS DIGITAL MOBILIZATION. ELLY SCHLEIN’S POLITICAL COMMUNICATION FROM 2013 TO 2023

The rise of general secretary Elly Schlein in the Italian Democratic party (Pd) primary elections highlights the influence of generation y as politicians. Popularly known as millennials, they are born in the 1981-1995 cohort, grown up with technology and familiar with computers and mobile phones at the same time. Schlein’s account on social media and her shrewd skill in using these platforms to popularize her program and mobilizing voters exemplify this trend. A common ground with Western generation y can be detected in the political use of Instagram with live video and stories filters to inform, chat and engage the followers. This analysis examines the communication strategies employed on Facebook and Instagram during European (2014), regional (2020), national (2022) and primary (2023) elections, which contributed to enhance her character. By studying Elly Schlein’s leadership, we can identify notable changes in her main issues and highlight their trajectories in the agenda. The research proposes a quantitative analysis of the political language used during these periods, implementing topic modeling techniques to identify recurring themes in her communication style and visualize its evolution over time, examining the terms most closely associated with these topics.

KEYWORDS: Elly Schlein, Partito Democratico, Italian Left-Wing, Millennials, Social Media, Topic Modeling.

LEGGI QUI: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.53227/113724