IANUS project partners from UNIROMA1 presented their work at SISCC 2023. This is in one of Italy’s most prestigious conferences, organized by the Società Scientifica Italiana Sociologia, Cultura e Comunicazione (Italian Scientific Society of Sociology Communication and Culture) and held this year in beautiful Bari, in the southern part of the country.
The SISCC conference explored the complex relationships between crises and creative practices, the short-circuit between emergence and anesthetization of social conflict as well as the potential of new creative and cultural practices to design new scenarios and imagine worlds. The conference addressed the “crisis and emergency paradigm” characterizing our time, the condition of uncertainty and unpredictability that crosses both social experiences, cultural and political practices, and the social studies. New conflicts and new emergencies are conveyed by the mass media to enhance the public’s attention, often resulting in the polarization of the public opinion and in populist discourses that see the ongoing climate of crisis as a constant challenge that only the elite can find the tools to respond to. At the same time, however, new social narratives are emerging, and creative practices evoke the possibility of building possible worlds beyond this scenario.
IANUS partners from UNIROMA1 presented ongoing work on several research projects based on the interconnection between digital practices and society, touching topics such as age and gender-based stereotypes and communicative practices, climate activism, civic participation, and algorithm cultures.
Being present at such an event was a meaningful experience. It allowed UNIROMA1 to engage with the Italian network of academics and researchers, emphasizing the importance of establishing solid scholarly foundations to address the intertwining between society and digital communication technologies. These must extend to researching trust in science, research, and innovation as valuable tools to address the ongoing climate of crisis characterizing our time.