CFP: Old Media and New Media in a Historical Perspective
Today, the debate on the media and their impact on society, politics, and institutions is focused on the new media and the social networks. It very often comes down to a Manichean contrast between old media and new media, are the latter are usually placed on the wicked side. This is an oversimplification which overlooks an essential fact: once, the current old media were in their turn new media. When they appeared, they aroused the attacks of what at the time of their birth were the old media, the curiosity of real and potential ‘users’, the attention of political, economic, and religious institutions, intent on evaluating, combating, and/or exploiting their effects and potential. In short, the reflection about the new media deserves to be tackled from a long-term historical perspective.
To this end, the International Center on Democracy and Democratization of Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome, with the financial contribution of Facebook Italy, promotes a research on the relationship between the old and the new media, and invites scholars to send proposals for scientific essays that deal with that topic in an innovative way, starting from the following questions:
How did the new media deal with the old media?
How did the old media judge the new media?
How did political, economic, and religious institutions relate to the new media?
What strategies were put in place by the traditional powers to contrast, control and/or exploit the new media?
The period considered runs from the end of the XVIII century until today. This will allow to focus on the appearance of the new media and/or new communication methods such as:
Political journalism
Popular press
Muckraker journalism
Radio
Television
Internet
Social networks