Young Italians' Cross-media Cultures ∗

Abstract

The article discusses the findings of a qualitative study aimed at investigating the development of new cross-media diets and new practices of media consumption and production among Italian young people (aged 14-24). These practices are certainly enabled by the diffusion of broadband, mobile media, digital television and the media convergence processes at the institutional and production level. They are also influenced by social and cultural factors such as age, gender, household composition, the extension of one’s social networks, and so on. The study has followed a multi-sited approach, with the adoption of different techniques of investigation (in depth interviews; participant observation with the support of visual sociology; an exploration of Italian online discussion areas). The article discusses some specificities of this young generation of Italians in the development of cross-platform consumption diets. In particular, it focuses on screen-based media consumption and technologically-mediated interpersonal communication. The findings on Italian youth’s media cultures provide the chance to reflect upon some relevant issues of the contemporary debate about media convergence: especially, the relation between private and public contexts of consumption, between mobile and domestic media, social broadcasting media and networking social media, and linear and non-linear patterns of reception.