Conference Program

Contemporary digital ecosystems, grounded in economic models based on data extraction and user profiling, are not merely new communication tools but complex socio-technical environments that reshape cognitive processes, forms of social interaction, and the mechanisms through which information gains visibility. Within this framework, the so-called platform society generates new tensions concerning the quality of the public sphere: algorithmic logics of personalization and recommendation tend to reinforce dynamics of polarization, echo chambers, and misinformation, contributing to the fragmentation of informational environments and to the crisis of traditional cultural intermediaries.

In this context, schools assume a crucial role as spaces of cultural and democratic mediation. While young people are among the most intensive users of digital technologies and online platforms, technical familiarity with these tools does not necessarily entail a critical understanding of how they operate or of the social, economic, and political implications embedded within them. As a result, practices of digital media consumption often develop within opaque informational environments governed by algorithmic and commercial logics that remain largely invisible to users.

The paper addresses these issues through three interconnected sections. The first provides an analysis of the ICT ecosystem, focusing on the economic and cognitive dimensions that characterize digital capitalism. Particular attention is devoted to the different layers that compose this ecosystem: the material bases and physical infrastructures of networks, the invisible digital infrastructures, the services offered by online platforms, the devices used to access the network, and finally the political and regulatory dimension related to governance and sustainability. Within this framework, the paper also examines processes of datafication and user profiling and their potential implications for informational polarization and shared interpretative frameworks.

The second section focuses on the social uses of digital platforms, drawing on recent surveys on Italian society. These data provide insights into the diffusion of digital technologies, the time devoted to online activities, patterns of information consumption, and the transformation of media diets across different age groups. They also offer indications regarding possible effects on trust in institutions, attitudes toward politics and civic engagement, and selected indicators of social and existential distress.

The third section connects the empirical findings with the theoretical framework, arguing that in a context marked by the weakening of traditional intermediary institutions, schools represent one of the few remaining institutional spaces capable of fostering critical debate. Digital competences are not spontaneous but require educational pathways making the operational mechanisms of digital platforms visible and promote critical information skills: from source verification to attention management, from awareness of one’s digital traces to the ethical implications of producing and circulating online content.

From this perspective, the paper reflects on the role of education within the broader context of digital capitalism, examining the relationship between media education, citizenship, and the transformation of the public sphere. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines media studies, sociology of education, and the political economy of digital media, the paper highlights the need to develop forms of critical literacy capable of addressing the power structures, economic models, and governance logics.