Papers by Lucia D'Ambrosi
Sociological Forum , 2023
The increasing access to online health information and the use of this information for self-medic... more The increasing access to online health information and the use of this information for self-medication or self-diagnosis can foster a discounting of the epistemic authority of experts, as well as an over-reliance on laypersons’ expertise. However, the emerging cognitive bias—the overconfidence effect—is poorly investigated in the sociological field. This study offers a novel contribution to the role of overconfidence bias in online health information-seeking behavior and self-care practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey on a sample of 783 Italian university students. Univariate linear regression and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis were performed on the collected data. The findings suggest that overconfidence and self-care practices are predictors of health information seeking online. The multiple linear regression model revealed that the association between overconfidence bias and online health information seeking is mediated by self-care behaviors. Therefore, the overconfidence effect influences health information seeking to the extent that the search for information is aimed at self-care practices. This study could trigger further research on implementing the overconfidence effect and self-care in theoretical models of health information seeking.
KEYWORDS:e-health literacy; health information seeking; lay-expert; overconfidence bias; self-care;trust
Sociological Forum
The increasing access to online health information and the use of this information for self-medic... more The increasing access to online health information and the use of this information for self-medication or selfdiagnosis can foster a discounting of the epistemic authority of experts, as well as an over-reliance on laypersons' expertise. However, the emerging cognitive bias-the overconfidence effect-is poorly investigated in the sociological field. This study offers a novel contribution to the role of overconfidence bias in online health information-seeking behavior and self-care practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey on a sample of 783 Italian university students. Univariate linear regression and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis were performed on the collected data. The findings suggest that overconfidence and selfcare practices are predictors of health information seeking online. The multiple linear regression model revealed that the association between overconfidence bias and online health information seeking is mediated by self-care behaviors. Therefore, the overconfidence effect influences health information seeking to the extent that the search for information is aimed at self-care practices. This study could trigger further research on implementing the overconfidence effect and self-care in theoretical models of health information seeking.
SocietàMutamentoPolitica: Rivista Italiana di Sociologia, Feb 16, 2023
The article presents the results of a study aimed at investigating the engagement networks activa... more The article presents the results of a study aimed at investigating the engagement networks activated in the planning process of the territories affected by the 2016 earthquake in the Marche region. The research objective is to reflect on communication strategies implemented by a selection of municipal administrations to promote transparency and information sharing and, at the same time, citizen participation in design and planning processes. The results highlight the emergence of an all-of-society engagement approach, to experiment and co-create with a renewed relationship between institutions, science, and local communities.
Journal of Italian cinema & media studies, Mar 1, 2023
The gender studies approach of this contribution addresses the issue of communication in the Ital... more The gender studies approach of this contribution addresses the issue of communication in the Italian government’s response to COVID-19. In the past, the government had often focused its communication on the promotion of political activities, with stereotypical representations of men and women instead of a culture of communication based on the concept of ‘civil servant’ with a gender lens. This article ponders whether methods of disseminating information and representing the pandemic are driven by innovative models of communication that advocate for a gender-conscious approach. Using a qualitative analysis, this contribution examines the government’s communication campaigns during the pandemic and inquires if and how the narrative of the pandemic has impacted the representation of gender. We analyse public service advertisements on television and in the digital media. Our results show distinct features of and issues with mainstream and social media storytelling strategies.
Bioetica dell'emergenza Pandemia e comunicazione in ambito ospedaliero. Per una medicina scienza ... more Bioetica dell'emergenza Pandemia e comunicazione in ambito ospedaliero. Per una medicina scienza per l'uomo Maria Grazia Marciani "Io faccio la mia parte. Tu puoi fare la tua" Raccontare la responsabilità sociale della donazione degli organi durante la pandemia
H-ermes: Journal of Communication, 2020
Over the last twenty years, profound transformations have affected public sector communication, c... more Over the last twenty years, profound transformations have affected public sector communication, changing and redefining its practices and tools, while influencing its research boundaries and trajectories. Communication function has shown innovative traits linked to the impact of Internet and social media, but it has also revealed its fragility when facing growing political interferences and resistances from organizational bureaucracies. The Covid-19 pandemic has represented a turning point for public sector communication. The latter has acquired new visibility in this emergency situation, and it has been forced to redefine consolidated communication models. In this scenario characterized by a general distrust toward institutions, public sector communication must recover credibility, guarantee transparency, correctness and timeliness in the dissemination of information. Starting from these considerations, this study on government communication in the context of Covid-19 investigates ...
H-ermes: Journal of Communication, 2019
Between screens and skirmishes: the challenges of visual in institutional storytelling. In the ev... more Between screens and skirmishes: the challenges of visual in institutional storytelling. In the evolution of models and practices of public sector communication, it becomes increasingly important for municipalities to live with awareness the current hybrid and convergent medial ecosystem. Public sector organizations have developed their presence in online spaces, enriching their interface with citizens opening new "digital screens" (eg: apps, instant messaging, social media), communication environments where the visual dimension is prevalent; more recently, they experiment strategies and techniques of visual storytelling. Based on the literature on public sector communication and on the institutional uses of social media, this article presents an exploratory and qualitative study, conducted through the analysis of social media channels of selected Italian municipalities, supported by in-depth interviews with institutional communication responsible officers. The study aims a...
T The current scenario, increasingly characterised by discursive practices and multi-ethnic socia... more T The current scenario, increasingly characterised by discursive practices and multi-ethnic social relations, requires institutions to play a more active role in strategies for the inclusion of immigrants. A complex challenge that requires a rethinking of institutional communication in order to activate a greater cooperation between self-produced and heteroproduced information. The relationship between administrations and local media facilitates the promotion of a cultural and informative pluralism, partly reducing the processes of mediation and mediatisation. The research presents the specific case of the Marche Region by investigating the communication strategies adopted by municipal authorities with a point of view to promote social inclusion. The analysis focuses on two main dimensions: the first concerns service communication to promote cultural integration, whereas the second focuses on the management of institutional information and the relationship with local media. The mai...
Partecipazione e Conflitto, 2020
This article aims to investigate the evolution of public sector communication before and after th... more This article aims to investigate the evolution of public sector communication before and after the Covid-19 crisis that has strongly impacted governmental institutions, public policy, contemporary society, and media ecologies. After a review of the main characteristics of public sector communication, the article proposes an interpretative and dynamic model to better understand the new challenges for public institutions. The model introduces ethics as the new, primary driver for public sector communication to surround all decisions, pointing out the need for transparent, authentic participation and dialogue to build trust. Focusing on two dimensions (trust/distrust, openness/closedness), the authors investigate the main trajectories of change for public sector communication, conceiving the three pillars of open government (transparency, participation and collaboration) as strategic values for improving the quality and efficacy of communication. In this time of uncertainty, the new tr...
Adattarsi ai cambiamenti con sfide decisive per l'intero progetto europeo, come l&#39... more Adattarsi ai cambiamenti con sfide decisive per l'intero progetto europeo, come l'occupazione, la governance economica, l'immigrazione e cogliere le opportunità facilitando le decisioni dal basso, informando e coinvolgendo sempre più cittadini. È questo uno degli obiettivi che attendono le istituzioni europee, in un periodo cruciale per ridisegnare il futuro equilibrio dell'Ue e la stessa ragion d'essere del suo rilancio politico, economico e culturale. L'interrogativo da cui parte il testo è quello di riflettere sul ruolo dell'informazione in Italia, per favorire la conoscenza delle opportunità offerte dall'Unione Europea, con la nuova programmazione dei fondi strutturali e d'investimento europei 2014-2020. Il libro raccoglie contributi di autori diversi per formazione, background ed esperienze, ma tutti conoscitori a vari livelli della macchina europea, e offre strumenti pratici per utilizzare e gestire al meglio i fondi comunitari.
SOCIOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE, 2021
This article argues that in Italy there is a new problematic relationship among journalism, polit... more This article argues that in Italy there is a new problematic relationship among journalism, politics, and public sector organizations due to the permanence of some traditional features in the informative context as well as to the success of infotainment logic and to the pervasive use of social media. In the new hybrid digi-tal ecosystem, a redefinition of the social role of information is necessary to un-derstand the perspectives for journalism and public sector communication. Info-tainment and politainment enhance the hybridization of Italian public sector communication formats and styles mainly on social media platforms. This process has consequences on interactions and overplays between information and com-munication areas in public organizations, redefining the evolution of professional roles.
SOCIOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE, 2018
The research’s target is to investigate the participatory dimension of children in corporate muse... more The research’s target is to investigate the participatory dimension of children in corporate museums, especially in the Poltrona Frau corporate museum. The study approach starts from the use of multi-sensorial creative workshops aimed at cultural entertainment, through three specific dimensions of analysis: the reactivity to the experience (hearts on), the interaction with the leather (hands on), the creative response (minds on). The results show how much the edutainment applied to the cultural heritage stimulates a very strong participative response, able to make corporate museums extremely interesting creation and design spaces.
Sociologia della comunicazione, Sep 1, 2012
L’articolo esamina le istanze motivazionali dei giovani che aderiscono ai movimenti partecipativi... more L’articolo esamina le istanze motivazionali dei giovani che aderiscono ai movimenti partecipativi in Rete, in relazione alla capacita di produrre capitale sociale. L’analisi, condotta attraverso la survey online, pone in rilievo interessanti linee interpretative circa la capacita dei giovani di connettere il vissuto online con quello reale e di creare legami sociali di tipo bridging. Nello specifico, le autrici evidenziano tre profili di giovani attivi: i "connessi ludici", gli "impegnati sul territorio", gli "acculturati virtuali" la cui vocazione emozionale connessa alla partecipazione presenta molteplici riferimenti valoriali. L’adesione ai movimenti si gioca su un ampio set di motivazioni lungo una linea di polarizzazione che vede contrapposto il bisogno di un riconoscimento sociale all’identificazione con una propria filosofia di vita.
SOCIOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE, 2015
Il saggio analizza il ruolo dei media nella formazione e sviluppo dei movimenti partecipativi amb... more Il saggio analizza il ruolo dei media nella formazione e sviluppo dei movimenti partecipativi ambientali, sia rispetto alle dinamiche di socializzazione interna che a quelle di interazione e creazione di civicness sul territorio. Le autrici evidenziano 4 profili di movimenti "movimenti di prossimita", "movimenti di contatto/ educazione ambientale£, "movimenti di sviluppo civico", "movimenti di setting dell’agenda ambientale" con diversi livelli di variabilita rispetto al livello di partecipazione mediale e al radicamento sul territorio. Si passa, infatti, dall’elaborazione di processi e-democracy in cui gli aderenti alla rete attivano scambi di relazione al livello locale/regionale con le istituzioni e i principali stakeholders, a esperienze di networking cooperativo piu complesse e elaborate sul piano internazionale.
International Review of Sociology, 2012
Young people's participation, supported by the advent and the use of social media, seems to i... more Young people's participation, supported by the advent and the use of social media, seems to increase and become more definite, especially when it is linked to the local territory and its activities. In this respect, the connections the youths are able to create online go beyond the web, also developing social interactions with local communities. This article, starting from these premises, aims at investigating more deeply the debate about the civic use of the web by young people. The analysis focuses on 20 youth movements (cultural, social-collective, and environmental ones), with national/international relevance, mainly related to the web. Taking into account five main dimensions – internationalization, level of organization, participation, communication, and benefits for the social structure – the paper point outs different dynamics among the movements related to: (1) the use of the net, (2) the transfer from the online communication exchange to the local implementation of the civic actions, and (3) the involvement of the local public opinion. Moreover, the study reveals strong connections among participants, both in terms of bridging and bonding links so that the movements may be considered as a promising opportunity to strengthen civicness and foster social capital.
SocietàMutamentoPolitica: Rivista Italiana di Sociologia, Feb 16, 2023
The latest emergencies – economic, refugee, and the pandemic of Covid-19 – has impacted in Europe... more The latest emergencies – economic, refugee, and the pandemic of Covid-19 – has impacted in European collective identity construction, especially in Southern Europe. This article investigates if the pandemic crisis has activated in young Italian and Spanish university students nationalistic or/and European responses. The analysis, based on an online survey, uses the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) statistical method to perform an exploratory analysis of the explanatory theoretical model of European sentiment. The results show that young people attribute several meanings to Europe during the pandemic, which are based mainly on making informed decisions and recognizing a common space of interaction as an opportunity of peace, security and democracy. The findings highlight the role of EU communicative actions in increasing trust in national and European institutions.
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Papers by Lucia D'Ambrosi
KEYWORDS:e-health literacy; health information seeking; lay-expert; overconfidence bias; self-care;trust
KEYWORDS:e-health literacy; health information seeking; lay-expert; overconfidence bias; self-care;trust
Re-connecting voices means intentionally and strategically aiming at creating flows, platforms and environments where these voices can meet, fertilize and face each other, enabling participation and innovative digital communication practices, fostering civic engagement or revitalizing forms of democracy. Some scholars refer to this area of communication as instilling symmetry or dialogical feedback loops (Grunig, 2000).
In this context, public sector communication can have a strategic role to manage voices and relations with citizens, media, and collectivity (Bartoletti & Faccioli, 2016; Harisson & Wessels, 2013). The use of social media platforms in the institutional communication mix has deeply transformed and rearticulated these relationships and practices (Lovari & Valentini, 2019; Haro-de-Rosario et al., 2018; Warren et al., 2014). The participatory potential of every citizen/user is constantly increasing, so as the opportunities of inclusion and listening of digital and traditional publics for public administrations are wider and often unexplored (Bowen 2013; Massoli & D’Ambrosi, 2014). Nowadays, social media represent one of the most important areas to experiment and improve new forms and practices of public sector communication (Dahlgren, 2009; Kent, 2013; Ducci, 2015).
The special issue aims at investigating the plurality of voices and the re-articulation of communication strategies and practices around open government. The issue will critically reflect the strategic role of public sector communication in building an open government approach, considering the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enable innovative processes and/or to influence citizens’ behaviors in order to achieve specific policy objectives (Capano & Pavan, 2018). In this prospective, open government is investigated also in respect to contexts in which data are produced and disseminated, in order to ensure the effective voices from citizens to be integrated in public policies (Harris &Fleisher, 2017). At the same time, this increased transparency and citizens’ participation could foster digital surveillance. The production of communication enabled by digital platforms makes everything more transparent and controlled, evolving in a digital panopticon in which everyone can be observed and controlled. Surveillance of digital publics, data collection and their manipulation are related problems, and they represent an ethical challenge for public sector organizations and threats for citizens (Lyon, 2018; Zavattaro & Sementelli, 2014).
Moreover, the special issue will focus on how different voices intertwine or conflict in a hybrid, fragmented and corporatized media system characterized by the increasing spreading of problematic information.
From one side, the public sector voice will be taken into consideration, focusing on offline and digital communication implemented by public organizations, investigating ethical, sociological, and political implications. Many questions arise in this context. What are the ethical responsibilities of public sector organizations with regard to citizen engagement? Are public sector organizations prepared to face these challenges? With trust in government at an all-time low, communication can represent a key to building open and accessible discourse, as well as helping to make government both responsible and reflexive? How do public sector communicators can give visibility to citizen voices? What are the skills required to address the challenges?
On the other side, this special issue will focus on citizens’ voices, investigating grassroots communication practices and dynamics of participation in conventional or protest-oriented ways. For instance: how do citizens’ voices engage (or disengage) with governmental and public sector organizations? How do citizens perceive public sector organizations’ communications? What are the effects produced and enabled by open government’s initiatives in different countries? What are the threats of adopting an open government approach in citizens’ perception? What measures should be taken with regard to information, privacy, and the ethical responsibilities of the public sector with digitally-collected information?
Furthermore, other voices, such as NGOs, non-profit associations, and news media, will be taken in consideration for the special issue.
Articles, employing different theoretical, empirical and methodological approaches, should explore one or more of the following thematic areas:
• The evolution of public sector communication models and strategies in the open government framework;
• The value and the role of public sector communication in the participatory processes;
• Strategic communication practices for listening and engaging with citizens’ voices;
• Social media as enabling platforms for trust and participation;
• Rhetoric of technological innovation, misalignments between public sector communication’s strategies and policies, and citizens’ expectations and needs;
• Civic hacking practices, between dissent and proactive communication behaviors;
• Media representation of open government’s value and practices;
• Unheard voices and grassroots communication practices;
• The ethical responsibilities of public sector communication, often in relation to data and privacy in the digital realm.
Timeline:
• Submission of Long Abstracts: 10th November 2019
• Submission of Full Articles: 10th March 2020
• Provision of peer reviewed feedback: 15st May 2020
• Submission of revised accepted articles: 19th June 2020
• Publication of the Special issue: 15th July 2020
Articles should be no longer than 10,000 words, including notes and references. A maximum of 10 articles will be published.
Please refer to the editorial guidelines available at http://siba-ese.unisalento.it/index.php/paco/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions
Abstracts must be sufficiently detailed to allow the PACO editorial board to judge the merits of the paper, including:
(1) A description of the topic, (2) The theoretical framework, (3) Empirical data, time frame and research methods, (4) Findings.
Abstracts lacking this information will be immediately rejected.
Please address any queries to the Editors
Proposals and papers have to be sent to the guest editors:
[email protected]
[email protected]
L'interrogativo da cui parte il testo è quello di riflettere sul ruolo dell'informazione in Italia, per favorire la conoscenza delle opportunità offerte dall'Unione Europea, con la nuova programmazione dei fondi strutturali e d'investimento europei 2014-2020. Il libro raccoglie contributi di autori diversi per formazione, background ed esperienze, ma tutti conoscitori a vari livelli della macchina europea, e offre strumenti pratici per utilizzare e gestire al meglio i fondi comunitari.
L'interrogativo da cui parte il testo è quello di riflettere sul ruolo dell'informazione in Italia, per favorire la conoscenza delle opportunità offerte dall'Unione Europea, con la nuova programmazione dei fondi strutturali e d'investimento europei 2014-2020. Il libro raccoglie contributi di autori diversi per formazione, background ed esperienze, ma tutti conoscitori a vari livelli della macchina europea, e offre strumenti pratici per utilizzare e gestire al meglio i fondi comunitari.
The European communication strategies aimed to promoting a democratic involvement, with a bottom-up approach ahead of the elections, have shown an intrinsic weakness: in fact, the lack of knowledge of the campaign itself has led to a negative impact on the effectiveness of the results. If citizens have a positive image of the European institutions, they will acknowledge the importance and the advantages of belonging to the EU. They have confidence in its work and say they feel the strong influence of European policies on their lives, but now they have a low consideration of Europe and a lack of involvement in the choices underlying public policies.
In this sense, it is essential to implement communication workflows in local contexts and adopt an integrated digital communication strategy, trying to facilitate symmetrical and participatory communication.