Panel G.16 — Technologies and Platforms for Inclusion: The Importance of the Informal Dimension in Promoting Social Justice
Convenors Simona Tirocchi (University of Turin, Italy); Nadia Crescenzo (University of Salerno, Italy)
Keywords Digital platforms, Digital education, Informal education, Social inclusion, Digital skills
The processes of digitalization, which are irreversibly transforming everyday life and educational processes, even more so as a consequence of the pandemic, reveal numerous critical aspects but, at the same time, unprecedented potentialities.
While it is undeniable that the pervasiveness of technology in education may have exacerbated inequalities in some cases, digital technologies can serve as environments capable of unleashing their potential for social inclusion. Digital platforms, in particular, are increasingly at the center of young people’s lives, as they constitute environments for the construction of identity, straddling the online and offline dimensions, now perceived as integrated and complementary (Tirocchi et al, 2023).
In this regard, the processes of education and socialization facilitated informally by digital technologies can, under specific contextual conditions, help shape education as a common good, capable of overcoming the perspective of social injustice and educational poverty (Cappello & Siino, 2023). They can also promote, through their potential for customization, the expression of cultural and identity diversities and peculiarities, with a view to strengthening democratic values and overcoming social injustices.
Based on these premises, the panel is open to proposals that can explore the potential of communicative technologies in promoting social inclusion and combating forms of inequality caused by processes such as globalization, the pandemic, and conflicts currently affecting our cultures.
We welcome submissions on a wide range of topics related to technology’s role in promoting social inclusion and addressing social injustice, including but not limited to:
- Technology in Schools to Promote Social Inclusion: analyzing the role of digital platforms in teaching practices in the post-pandemic period (Colombo et al., 2022).
- TV Series as Agents of Social Change: analyzing the portrayal of social issues in TV series and how they influence public perceptions and promote inclusivity (Boisvert, 2020).
- Memes as Tools for Social Awareness and Community Strengthening: investigating the impact of memes in spreading awareness about social injustices, as well as their potential to unite communities (Winocur & Dussel, 2020).
- Transmedia as a Framework for Producing Content that Promotes Social Inclusion: exploring the potentialities of transmedia, both in schools and in extra-school contexts (Scolari, 2018).
- Youth Digital Work and Empowerment: investigating the role of youth work in digital transformation for acquiring new skills (Bennato & Vitale, 2022; Coppola & Crescenzo, 2022).