Diving into
the web
Integrated Course
Final Synthesis Studio
2016-2017
In the 2016/2017 edition of the Final Synthesis Studio we asked the students to use information visualization both as an analytical and a communicative tool, to observe, understand, shape and communicate complex phenomena. In the second part of the course, the students selected a specific controversy and depicted its current develpment, highlighting the debate related to the issue. They identified the actors relevant to the topic and mapped their positions and connections. Taking cue from the "Digital Methods", the students had to harvest data directly from the web, picking the sources they deemed more appropriate in relation to the debate but also developing new solutions to collect, analyze and represent the data. The result is a "visual atlas" aimed at reporting the debate, representing the actors that take part in it and their stances.
Full list of the projects:
Climate change
Migration
Free movement
Radicalization
Free movement
Climate change
Radicalization
The Trump Effect on Climate Change
Climate change is a topic that was vastly discussed through the years all around the world. The international discussion revolved around meetings and conferences, but in the last two years the figure of Donald Trump rose and questioned many of the last events revolving around climate change. Did Donald Trump’s election had an impact on the discussion around the human causes on climate change and on the international debate about the topic?
Valeria Aufiero, Andrea Benedetti, Alessia Bissolotti, Simone Costagliola, Beatrice Gobbo
The myth of migrant in digital tribes
The fragment perception of the migration phenomenon can cause a biased perspective. Public opinion is often influenced by the narratives of politicians, celebrities or organizations, which report some information instead of others, choosing precise words, images or topics related to migrants, often flattening people’s conception. The purpose of this research is to individuate the possible digital tribes involved into the migration debate and to analyze the different mental images of migrants that rise into the different groups.
Vincenzo Bisceglia, Valeria Brienza, Nicola Creioli, Matteo Tartaglia
Open culture: fostering the scientific publishing debate
The Open Culture controversy dates back to the Internet birth. The potentiality of ubiquitous and fast distribution, together with papers digitization, has been working as a positive asset in scientific publishers’ business models, leading companies to obtain remarkable profits out of knowledge. Other actors, especially researchers and culture producers, have faced this fact appealing to the principles and ideals around the freedom of knowledge both with legal and illegal actions, such as boycott movements or piracy. How does the online controversy regarding scientific knowledge change over time?
Nicolò Fabio Banfi, Erika Inzitari, Ludovico Pincini, Andrey Vinogradov
Are you sure you want to see this?
The western media coverage about terrorist content is a controversial topic. It involves subject fields such as freedom of expression and sensitive content management. When terrorism appears as the headline news, what do people search? The project focuses on the video-executions produced by ISIS, which are considered as news themselves: starting from the events that cause debate, we analysed the way several platforms deal with content and the way users respond to this kind of information. How can the way an event is presented and spread online affect the perception of the phenomenon itself?
Francesco Cosmai, Giacomo Flaim, Francesco Giudice, Barbara Nardella, Giulia Zerbini
Tales of Pot
This research shall explore the debate around the legalization of addictive drugs such as marijuana. Arguments about either the prohibition of cannabis or its liberalization are subjects of considerable controversy. At the same time the perception of marijuana is controversial as well. In this research the debate is explored in its profusion online and through the lenses of music.
Sofia Chiarini, Giulia Corona, Alessandra Del Nero
The Rashomon effect of climate change
The United States and China, the world’s two largest economies and the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, have formally committed to the Paris climate agreement recently, cementing their partnership on climate change and offering a rare display of harmony in a relationship that has become increasingly discordant. Our research aims to analyze the different voices from China and United States via a multi-angle data analysis (Search Engine, News, Social Media, Book, and Movie).
Gao He, Ling SiYang, Cheng YuXiao, Tian Long, Zhang Long
Migration to planet Mars: is it happening for real?
This project aimed at analyzing the current development of studies about the possibility of a future migration on planet Mars. The first step of the analysis is to check which are the most important and active actors in this topic. Ensuring that, and their respective positions, are examined which kind of scenarios they offer to the public through their channels. In this way have been noticed an high varieties of visions about Mars and his discovery.
Sara Batisti, Alicia Gonzalez, Emanuele Innocenti, Mattia Virtuani
IS a brand
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is currently the most popular of the violent extremist movements and its success is due to the attention given by ISIS leadership to the strategic use of mass communication. ISIS has developed a strong brand image that made the organisation known, recognizable and strongly characterized. The research was directed on the web to understand the evolution process of the image of the IS.
Serena Del Nero, Marco Mezzadra, Claudia Pazzaglia, Alessandro Riva, Alessandro Zotta
