gressive education in communication and in its languages (media education) could contribute to the development of an awareness of the sociocultural function and of the power to condition the media with regard to everyone’s symbolic universe. Only on this condition can the school become the preferred environment of the culture of change, taking back that role of mediation which will enable it, and also serve mass culture, to reclaim its function as guarantor of equal opportunities.
of the different technologies to different uses, contexts, and opportunities to such an extent that they can be defined the networked generation (Tirocchi, Andò, &
Antenore, 2002). In this space all are transformed at the same time into producers and consumers, transmitters, and receivers. In other words, the spectator becomes actor, expressing his or her willingness to enter the text and actualize it, taking as a starting point the personal prospective of interpretation.
If this form of virtual individualism can appear as an expression of liberty and of subjective emancipation, it risks, however, transforming itself into a condition of excess, and of scant cultural mediation, resulting in fragmentation and a loss of direction. The capacity for self-orientation, in fact, depends on the level of indepen- dence, responsibility, and personality which each individual matures, starting from daily experience and educational experience; that is, depending on the individual background of culture and experience. Also in this case, the cultural, affective, and informative patrimony of the family and of the school have a strong effect on so- cialization in the age of digital media, on the level of self-respect and assuredness, and, as a result, on the sociocultural attitudes of the individual which are expressed when surfing the Internet. In other words, a solid cultural mediation from the family and from the school in the process of socialization helps to guarantee all the basic instruments the individual needs to orientate him or herself in the digital world in an independent and creative manner, and when this is lacking the subject has dif- ficulty in the media network.
Moreover, a strong instability and fluidity of knowledge and of values often cor- responds to the immateriality of place in the late-modern era, so much so that the same process of socialization takes on a symbolic value. Thus, if the identity frag- ments and becomes fragile due to a lack of solid and concrete points of reference, the processes of identification become multiple and parallel, in that the subject seeks elsewhere for that which the traditional agencies of socialization are not able to guarantee. This allows for the appeasing of heterogeneous needs and the satisfying of aspects of the personality which are equally divergent through their immersion in virtual worlds.
The objective is always the same: the realization of the self and the attainment of an internal well-being by constantly involving oneself in the experiences of daily life, although the contexts and the times of the socialization change.
Through digital technology, therefore, new forms of interaction and immediate com- munication, without filters, are realized. They are independent of spatial distances and make it possible to satisfy the need to relate in a way which is coherent with the characteristics of a late-modern condition and of a digitalized society (Maffesoli, 2004).
According to some researchers, in fact, one of the peculiarities of the post condi- tion in today’s society regards the rediscovery of the social, of the sharing and collective participation which lead to a new form of interaction and intersubjective
comparison. This is a form of reaction to the excesses of modern individualism, a
“cure” for its side effects of subjective sense of loss, which has developed due to the lack of solid reference points to which the individual can anchor him or herself in the process of definition of identity. This leads the subject to seek new forms of participation, giving origin to the so-called phenomenon of de-individualization (Bauman, 2000; Maffesoli, 2004).
This reclaiming of the relational dimension in the digital world can be interpreted starting from two aspects of interpretation: that which is carried out within the virtual space and that which is closely connected to real experience.
In the first case, we are speaking of those relationships of virtual interaction which are played out in the semantic sharing of ideas, myths, rites, and interpretations of reality in the new spatial dimensions which are generated by technological conver- gence. Far from being impersonal, these new environments make it possible to ap- pease the need for identification and the search for the self through comparison and exchange with those who choose to share the same semantic community, exploring different worlds according to the presuppositions of the classic sociology of Alfred Schutz. It thus becomes possible to satisfy the need for a “common understanding”
through contact with the other and the re-appropriation of the relational dimension, developing a sense of belonging and sharing, often semantic or symbolic, which affects the process of the search for and the construction of the self, social network (Marinelli, 2004).
On the other hand, the increase in relationships in the virtual environment does not necessarily mean the weakening of concrete experience and interaction. Paradoxically in the late-modern era we are seeing the rediscovery of certain dimensions of the real connected to traditional experience, such as, for example, aesthetics, physical space as space-symbol of the bond, of celebration, and of rituality and, therefore, as alchemy of the social, of contact and comparison with the alter (Maffesoli, 2004, p. 81).
In support of this new dimension of late-modern relationships there have been a number of studies by ISTAT in recent years into the cultural behaviour of young Italians which announce a new tendency: the discovery of and search for collective, shared experiences in which the dimension of relationships is reclaimed, for direct participation , and for plurisensorial involvement through the experience (Morcellini, 2005, 2004a). In the last few years, in fact, there have been cultural modifications in all those areas which in the past were labelled elite or niche markets. So we find in a 10-year period (from 1996 to 2005) that the theatre, classical music, and visits to archaeological sites have increased their appeal, not only among the young, in spite of the explosion that has taken place regarding the means of communication.
In spite, therefore, of the structural instability of the social context, particularly of the economic sector, there has been an increase in cultural activity founded on
contact and on social and emotional involvement. There has been an increase in the number of cinema goers of 16.1%, for the theatre of 10.6%, and so on for other activities: museums and exhibitions (+17.3%); classical music concerts (+3.1%);
other music (+0.6%); sports events (+4.5%).
It is 2005 specifically in which all the forms of live entertainment reach their maximum historical level in terms of users over a 10-year period. The only form of entertainment which is in decline is the discotheque (-2.53% from 1996 to 2005).
This data helps to radicalize the differences between the new generation and that of the 1980s (see Table 1).
If we wish to narrow the research to the year 2005 and focus attention on differ- ent cultural behaviour, taking into consideration the different age groups among the young, it is possible to see that the cinema occupies the first place in the clas- sification of entertainment. It is therefore the most popular medium among all age groups, although with different percentages. Discotheques and dance halls, on the other hand, are frequented by the over-15s and their popularity increases with age, reaching second place in the classification of outdoor activities in 2005. As far as
YEAR The-
atre Cinema Museums and exhibitions
Classical mu- sic concerts
Concerts of other music
Sports events
Disco- theques and danc-
ing
1996 19.1 -64 26.1 5.8 23.1 39.3 31.1
1997 13.9 69 39.2 8.3 24.6 43 31
1998 20.6 71.3 38.2 6.3 -22 40.4 28.9
1999 23.2 69.3 38.6 7.5 22.6 40.8 30.2
2000 22.7 66.9 41.3 7.3 23.5 41.7 30.4
2001 25.6 75.8 40.6 7.5 23.6 42.8 30.3
2002 25.1 78.6 42.3 7.6 24.4 42.5 28.6
2003 23.4 74 41.2 7.1 24.8 44.2 28.8
2005* 29,7 80,1 43,4 8,9 23,7 43,8 28,6
Escursione
2000/2005 +7 +13.2 +2.1 +1.6 +0.2 +2.1 -1.8
Escursione
1996/2005 +10.6 +16.1 +17.3 +3.1 +0.6 +4.5 -2.5
Source: elaboration based on ISTAT data
* data not at present available for 2004
Table 1. New encyclopedia of culture and communication. Spectators between 6 and 19 years of age at different entertainment events between 1996 and 2005
the younger members of the group are concerned (from 6 to 10 and from 11 to 14), museums and exhibitions are the most popular activities, in third place after the cinema and sports events. The theatre also shows a significant number of spectators, particularly among children between 6 and 10 (28.4%), followed by pop music and classical music concerts.
A new way of relating to the context of reality and of forming relationships has been established. This is certainly fluctuating and dynamic, consistent with the social flex- ibility and cultural fragmentation/fragility of the real which is still to be explored.
In general the young pass from one space to another to satisfy their need to belong in different contexts, which reinforces the semantic or symbolic sharing of gestures, and expressive and ideological forms. In other words, the post-modern ethos is acted out in shared spaces, in participation and in collective and material events.
If we wish to synthesize the cultural behaviour of young Italians with reference to the stimuli of modern society, it is worth highlighting certain key points:
1. Multimediality and explorativity as styles of consumption and individual attitudes in front of the range of cultural and media stimuli of modern society;
according to ISTAT data, from 2000 to 2005 there was an enormous increase in the cultural activities of the young who have at their disposal different media contemporarily in a productive and creative way to satisfy multiple needs, or rather desires. There is no longer competition between the media, but a synergy of stimuli, instruments, and languages.
2. Subjective activism and protagonism as symbols of the centrality of the individual in the choice and personalization of the different media stimuli.
The received wisdom in that the subject has been transformed from consumer into producer of symbols, knowledge, and meanings conveyed by the media and recontextualized in everyday experience.
3. Relationships and participations which define the cultural behaviour of the young and the processes of socialization in the late-modern context. ISTAT data, for example, shows that between 1998 and 2005 there is a growth in young people’s need to spend time with their contemporaries, a characteristic which increases with age in correspondence with the process of socialization.
Naturally, there is a progressive abandoning of the domestic environment in favour of the informal world of their peers. Along with friends, we must not underestimate the practice of sport in free time. This increased between 2000 and 2005, particularly among girls and it gains in popularity with age.
In conclusion, participation in cultural events represents a form of reaction to modern hyper-technology and is a symbol of the re-appropriation of a tradi- tional dimension, that of face-to-face interaction.