Covid-19 health crisis is redefining the perimeters of everyday life globally. As a result, cultural practices aimed at improving the quality of life are undergoing profound transformations, leading Social Sciences to question the current needs for digitization of the various areas of the individual and social sphere in facing the challenges of the post- coronavirus. This work aims to develop some key issues for a better understanding of the technological transformations that are affecting physical activity practices and well-being in the post-quarantine period. In addition, we will see how the AI-oriented technologies that allow people to age and to care in their own homes, managing in an integrated way conditions of even severe disability are going to increase. In this article we propose a review of the main technologies able to assist the weakest and first and, in our vision, to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection, but also a happy and active ageing and health monitoring of the subject at risk, timulating him/her to those motor activities that support a good state of health.
Scholars have been examining the question of the propaganda of the Fascist regime (and its relationship with censorship) for some decades now, yet its origins remain somewhat unclear. First of all, the essay aims to show that, from the methodological point of view, analysis of issues of this kind requires an open dialogue between historical disciplines and the various branches of visual studies. The underlying hypothesis is that the traumatic experience of the Great war generated a new “observer” of the images used in communication; one that replaced nineteenth-century confidence in the reproduction of reality (photographic and in film) with a totally new willingness to believe in the “optical” messages packaged by political propaganda. In Italy it became one of the conditions that would lead to the affirmation of a new political regime that, thanks to a studied balance between censorship and propaganda, was able to garner mass consensus – at least for a certain period.
This article looks at the increasingly central role played by Netflix, global leader in subscription video on demand (SVOD) television, as producer and distributor of original films, and the implications that this has for national film industries. The article applies a theoretical framework rooted in political-economy and combines it with studies of contemporary Italian political cinema. In terms of methodology, the article relies on case study analysis, and focuses one specific country, Italy, and one relevant film production, Sulla Mia Pelle/On My Skin (2018, dir. Alessio Cremonini). Sulla Mia Pelle, which recounts one of the most controversial stories in Italy’s recent history, the death of a young man under police custody, is of the first national features to have day-anddate release in theatres and via Netflix. The article argues that the politicity of Sulla Mia Pelle, and notably its political subject and the political-economic framework underpinning its release, were instrumental in prompting the strong reactions that came from various Italian film industry stakeholders: above all, a boycott from the main film exhibitors associations and a policymaking intervention by the Italian Minister of Culture. The politicity of Sulla Mia Pelle provides this case with unique characteristics, but it also makes it an exemplary illustration of the complex interplay between global SVOD providers and national film industries.
In 1968, the proposals for the democratic control of Italian television converged on the “production unit” hypothesis. This idea referred to collective creation of TV programmes, in order to reunite conception, production and broadcasting – three stages that were otherwise separate in the public broadcasting company, Rai. During discussions about a forthcoming television reform, the “production unit” front opposed both the liberalization of broadcasts (advocated by both commercial and leftist media) and professional-led pluralistic renovation, as well as the pre-existing, government-run system. Instead the unit promoted an idea of public service based on permanent interaction between the broadcasting institution and civil society. This article traces the history of that discussion in cultural associations, Parliament, intellectuals, trade unions and Rai itself. The sources come from interviews of television workers from that time and archival material, such as sessions of Rai’s board of directors and the parliamentary broadcasting committee.
The emergency caused by Covid-19 has created many consequences for the global population. Among them, it has caused the closure of schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. The media and national television programming have thus become important channels for informal and distance learning. This article considers the Italian case of Rai and analyses how the broadcaster devised certain formats to respond to the emergency, starting from a historical Italian TV programme for teaching. The paper is organised in two sections, along with final hypothesis on an innovative teacher mode. Firstly, the contribution takes its cue from the historical Rai format Non è mai troppo tardi, seeking to demonstrate how some morphological and educational structures have returned to this format in the current situation. In particular, the article considers its anchor-man, the teacher Alberto Manzi, and his multi-code and multimodal methodological approach to teaching. Secondly, the paper presents several contemporary programmes realized by Rai to respond to the pandemic period. I analyse in particular La banda dei fuori classe, a kids-oriented format for students from 6 to 13 years old. Despite the different targets, this programme appears to bringback some elements from Non è mai troppo tardi. As such, I compare the two formats, and I consider the role of the presenter of the La banda dei fuori classe, highlighting what kind of similarities and differences there are between this role and Alberto Manzi. Moreover, remaining on Manzi’s approach, I hypothesize and introduce the figure of teacher-YouTuber as a form of media and educational convergence in the current emergency, and as a probable futuristic approach to education and media literacy.
The article focuses on the culture of communication in the public sector, aiming to understand its features and transformations facing the challenge of digital media. In the first part, a view of the international literature on communication in the public sector is presented. The strategic role played by communication in the public organizations is underlined as well as the institutionalization of social media in the management of communication with citizens and media. In the second part, a qualitative explorative research is illustrated. The study was conducted in Italy and France and consisted of 10 in-depth interviews with key figures in public sector communication: academics and professionals of national associations. The study aimed to present the main similarities and differences between the two countries about three thematic macro-areas: the state of the art of conceptualization of public sector communication highlighting the tension between apolitical and political dimensions; the role of communication professionals in public organizations; the impact of social media on the communication activities. The results demonstrate that in contemporary media ecosystem public sector organizations need to continue the process of innovation of their bureaucratic apparatus, to acquire new skills in a multi-channel perspective and to encourage a less asymmetrical relationship with citizens.
“Il Musichiere” is a 1950s magazine inspired by Garinei and Giovannini’s TV show of the same name. From the very first issue, it includes a readers’ column edited by Mario Riva: “Scrivetemi come parlate”. This column represents an interesting and unknown source that might be useful in understanding and analyzing new aspects of early Italian television stardom. The aim of this paper is to analyze Riva’s column as a tool to deepen the Italian media system of the 1950s an its protagonists.
It is known that film director Brian De Palma has a recognizable style which may be called mannerist, virtuosic, and operatic, and his narrational mode is often self-reflexive. De Palma’s thrillers are rich in music, which helps connoting the sequences and making meanings. Following a neoformalist approach, this article aims at demonstrating how music contributes to De Palma’s self-reflexivity, in that it is often used intertextually: the scores by Bernard Herrmann reference his own scores for the films that inspire De Palma – i.e., those of Alfred Hitchcock – and the scores of Pino Donaggio sometimes evoke Herrmann’s style. Moreover, Donaggio’s use of similar musical materials in different films helps the audience make connections between them. Therefore, music is a crucial feature for understanding the formal project of De Palma’s thrillers, which may be really appreciated only in their transtextual connections.
Le giovanni donne sempre più lontane, i giovani in solitaria ricerca, il dovere degli adulti di mettersi in ascolto: Paola Bignardi racconta il libro-inchiesta "Dio, dove sei?".