Manuela Farinosi
Biographic Data
| ID | 1320820 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Manuela Farinosi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Manuela |
| FAMILY NAME | Farinosi |
| SIGNATURE | FARINOSI M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Udine |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8404-3187 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 28 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Civil society organisations and community bonds in post-pandemic small-scale localities
This study examines Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in post-pandemic small-scale localities through focus groups with representatives from 15 organisations in Peccioli, Italy, a village of 4,700 inhabitants recognised for its innovative governance. We investigate how aggregative and conflictual community dynamics shape the associative landscape. Findings reveal that CSOs envision the ideal community as cohesive yet inclusive, emphasising both …
Reimagining disaster risk assessment
Disaster risk assessment has traditionally focused on fatalities, economic losses, and physical damage, offering only a partial understanding of how risk is produced and experienced across social groups. This study advances an equity-centered approach by centering informational equity (the distribution of timely, comprehensible, and actionable information) as a critical yet underexamined dimension of disaster vulnerability. Through a multi-method…
Beyond the hype
To adopt or to ban? Student perceptions and use of generative AI in higher education
The rapid rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT has sparked debate regarding their impact on higher education. While these technologies have the potential to transform traditional educational practices and enrich personalised learning experiences, they also raise ethical and organisational concerns, including the potential for misinformation and a lack of scientific rigour. This study surveyed 1366 university st…
‘I Use ChatGPT , but Should I?’ A Multi‐Method Analysis of Students' Practices and Attitudes Towards AI in Higher Education
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have the potential to revolutionise educational practices, but their use raises ethical and organisational concerns for higher education institutions (HEIs). We investigated Italian students' perception and usage of AI tools at the University of Udine using questionnaires ( N = 531) with fixed and open‐ended items and semi‐structured interviews ( N = 60). The findings reveal that while over two‐thirds of student…
Aging in the digital era
This paper examines how older adults in Italy engage with mobile phones. A study involving 344 older adults was conducted to explore ownership and usage patterns of the mobile phone compared to other major digital technologies, and to analyze the phone's specific subjective significance. The concept of structural dissonance is introduced to highlight the discrepancy between the mobile phone and digital technologies in general, typically designed …
What do participants participate in? Insights from the community of Peccioli
This research is part of a broader study investigating citizen participation in public decisions affecting the present and future of the community of Peccioli, a small village in Tuscany (Italy), through repeated surveys on a random sample of the citizens, and within participatory processes promoted by the local administration. The paper investigates how citizens who participate in one of these processes take part in political, associative and cu…
Disabled influencers on Instagram
This article illuminates the nexus of social media, celebrity, and marginalised identities by examining the phenomenon of disabled influencers. Since the late 2010s, disability representations in media, culture, and public discourse have increasingly moved away from stigmatising stereotypes. Disabled influencers have emerged as new voices in this landscape but, so far, exploration of their work has been limited. To address this gap, this study ex…
Mobile sociality and the use of the network of personal technologies
The article investigates how personal technologies interact with the sociality of young people in a context of long-distance mobility. We focussed on a group of individuals – expatriates and internal migrants – who are highly mobile, multilingual, multicultural, sometimes also multinational, highly educated, and who extensively use personal technologies to support their sociality. The long-distance mobility of these young adults has been discusse…
What lies behind a Facebook page? Insights from an action research project in rural Bangladesh
This investigation explores ambiguities, limitations, constraints, and ethical issues related to the collection and use of online social data for research purposes from a Facebook community fostered by developmental bodies in rural Bangladesh. Even though there have been prior studies of information and communication technology use in vulnerable communities in development contexts, such research has not taken sufficient account of cultural and po…
Deconstructing the stigma of ageing
This contribution investigates the phenomenon of mature female influencers, exploring how social media platforms have enabled so far marginalised social subjects not only to become produsers, but also to develop a leading role online, reshaping social representations and practices connected with the world of the older persons. The study addresses the following research questions: what kinds of content do mature influencers elaborate to produce an…
A network of yarns, a network of networks
The paper focuses on a specific form of activism – urban knitting – and analyses “Mettiamoci una pezza” (“Let’s patch it”), an initiative organized by a group of women activists from L’Aquila, Italy, for the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, not only to draw public attention to the state of the city but also to other social and political issues. To analyze the organizational infrastructure of this movement, a qualitative content analysis of the…
Sociotechnical Transformative Effects of an ICT Project in Rural Bangladesh
The purpose of this article is to provide lessons from the field about an Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) project (Participatory Research and Ownership With Technology, Information and Change [PROTIC]) concerned with the use of mobile phones by women in remote villages in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government considers that the role of ICT in social and economic transformation is significant for the country's dev…
Enhancing classical methodological tools to foster participatory dimensions in local urban planning
Knitting Feminist Politics
The aim of this article is to explore urban knitting as a worldwide social movement, rather than solely a kind of “inoffensive urban graffiti” made with knitted fabric. Building on the available literature and original research, the article argues that this movement weaves together elements from craftivism, domesticity, handicraft, art, and feminism. It then explores a specific urban knitting initiative, called “Mettiamoci una pezza” (“Let’s patc…
Shaken and stirred
In this paper we examine the use of Twitter and Facebook in two dramatic earthquakes that hit Italy: L’Aquila (in 2009) and Emilia (in 2012). Indeed, disasters disrupt everyday life and engage people in meaning-making processes aimed at recovering meaning and control of their world. In these cases, we argue that the use of social media may contribute to social representations processes and functions: cognitive coping, social sharing of emotions, …
Challenging mainstream media, documenting real life and sharing with the community
The aim of this article is to explore the motivations that drove many ordinary people to produce citizen journalism after the earthquake that destroyed the Italian city of L’Aquila in 2009. Using in-depth interviews, we investigate the motivations and the obstacles underlying the publication of grassroots information related to the post-earthquake situation. Findings highlight that people were largely motivated to upload their content online: (1)…
Print and online newspapers as material artefacts
Traditional newspaper journalism is in a state of crisis and there have been several attempts to overcome this. Many discourses have reiterated the triumphal march of a digital revolution in newspaper journalism and anticipated the end of the print newspaper. This moment calls for an in-depth analysis of reader habits of news consumption and use in order to understand the audiences for journalistic output and their relationship with the journalis…
A New Fashion
The aim of this article is to explore the urban knitting movement, a worldwide phenomenon that tries to combine a domestic activity, street or folk art, the reshaping of do-it-yourself culture, and peaceful forms of urban guerrilla protest. The activists employ colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth to enhance, beautify, personalize, and gentrify abandoned public places. Furthermore, they use the Internet to share knowledge on techniques…
Deconstructing Bentham’s Panopticon
This article reflects on the meaning of the words “control” and “privacy” in light of the intensive diffusion of user generated content on the web. It presents some results of an empirical research based on 145 essays written by Italian students. The data were analysed from a qualitative point of view to understand how young people frame the topic of control on web 2.0. The attention is focused on the metaphors used to describe online platforms a…
Print and online newspapers as material artefacts
Traditional newspaper journalism is in a state of crisis and there have been several attempts to overcome this. Many discourses have reiterated the triumphal march of a digital revolution in newspaper journalism and anticipated the end of the print newspaper. This moment calls for an in-depth analysis of reader habits of news consumption and use in order to understand the audiences for journalistic output and their relationship with the journalis…
Challenging mainstream media, documenting real life and sharing with the community
The aim of this article is to explore the motivations that drove many ordinary people to produce citizen journalism after the earthquake that destroyed the Italian city of L’Aquila in 2009. Using in-depth interviews, we investigate the motivations and the obstacles underlying the publication of grassroots information related to the post-earthquake situation. Findings highlight that people were largely motivated to upload their content online: (1)…
Deconstructing the stigma of ageing
This contribution investigates the phenomenon of mature female influencers, exploring how social media platforms have enabled so far marginalised social subjects not only to become produsers, but also to develop a leading role online, reshaping social representations and practices connected with the world of the older persons. The study addresses the following research questions: what kinds of content do mature influencers elaborate to produce an…
Enhancing classical methodological tools to foster participatory dimensions in local urban planning
Sociotechnical Transformative Effects of an ICT Project in Rural Bangladesh
The purpose of this article is to provide lessons from the field about an Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) project (Participatory Research and Ownership With Technology, Information and Change [PROTIC]) concerned with the use of mobile phones by women in remote villages in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government considers that the role of ICT in social and economic transformation is significant for the country's dev…
Deconstructing Bentham’s Panopticon
This article reflects on the meaning of the words “control” and “privacy” in light of the intensive diffusion of user generated content on the web. It presents some results of an empirical research based on 145 essays written by Italian students. The data were analysed from a qualitative point of view to understand how young people frame the topic of control on web 2.0. The attention is focused on the metaphors used to describe online platforms a…
A New Fashion
The aim of this article is to explore the urban knitting movement, a worldwide phenomenon that tries to combine a domestic activity, street or folk art, the reshaping of do-it-yourself culture, and peaceful forms of urban guerrilla protest. The activists employ colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth to enhance, beautify, personalize, and gentrify abandoned public places. Furthermore, they use the Internet to share knowledge on techniques…
Challenging mainstream media, documenting real life and sharing with the community
The aim of this article is to explore the motivations that drove many ordinary people to produce citizen journalism after the earthquake that destroyed the Italian city of L’Aquila in 2009. Using in-depth interviews, we investigate the motivations and the obstacles underlying the publication of grassroots information related to the post-earthquake situation. Findings highlight that people were largely motivated to upload their content online: (1)…
Print and online newspapers as material artefacts
Traditional newspaper journalism is in a state of crisis and there have been several attempts to overcome this. Many discourses have reiterated the triumphal march of a digital revolution in newspaper journalism and anticipated the end of the print newspaper. This moment calls for an in-depth analysis of reader habits of news consumption and use in order to understand the audiences for journalistic output and their relationship with the journalis…
Knitting Feminist Politics
The aim of this article is to explore urban knitting as a worldwide social movement, rather than solely a kind of “inoffensive urban graffiti” made with knitted fabric. Building on the available literature and original research, the article argues that this movement weaves together elements from craftivism, domesticity, handicraft, art, and feminism. It then explores a specific urban knitting initiative, called “Mettiamoci una pezza” (“Let’s patc…
Shaken and stirred
In this paper we examine the use of Twitter and Facebook in two dramatic earthquakes that hit Italy: L’Aquila (in 2009) and Emilia (in 2012). Indeed, disasters disrupt everyday life and engage people in meaning-making processes aimed at recovering meaning and control of their world. In these cases, we argue that the use of social media may contribute to social representations processes and functions: cognitive coping, social sharing of emotions, …
Enhancing classical methodological tools to foster participatory dimensions in local urban planning
Sociotechnical Transformative Effects of an ICT Project in Rural Bangladesh
The purpose of this article is to provide lessons from the field about an Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) project (Participatory Research and Ownership With Technology, Information and Change [PROTIC]) concerned with the use of mobile phones by women in remote villages in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government considers that the role of ICT in social and economic transformation is significant for the country's dev…
A network of yarns, a network of networks
The paper focuses on a specific form of activism – urban knitting – and analyses “Mettiamoci una pezza” (“Let’s patch it”), an initiative organized by a group of women activists from L’Aquila, Italy, for the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, not only to draw public attention to the state of the city but also to other social and political issues. To analyze the organizational infrastructure of this movement, a qualitative content analysis of the…
Deconstructing the stigma of ageing
This contribution investigates the phenomenon of mature female influencers, exploring how social media platforms have enabled so far marginalised social subjects not only to become produsers, but also to develop a leading role online, reshaping social representations and practices connected with the world of the older persons. The study addresses the following research questions: what kinds of content do mature influencers elaborate to produce an…
Mobile sociality and the use of the network of personal technologies
The article investigates how personal technologies interact with the sociality of young people in a context of long-distance mobility. We focussed on a group of individuals – expatriates and internal migrants – who are highly mobile, multilingual, multicultural, sometimes also multinational, highly educated, and who extensively use personal technologies to support their sociality. The long-distance mobility of these young adults has been discusse…
What lies behind a Facebook page? Insights from an action research project in rural Bangladesh
This investigation explores ambiguities, limitations, constraints, and ethical issues related to the collection and use of online social data for research purposes from a Facebook community fostered by developmental bodies in rural Bangladesh. Even though there have been prior studies of information and communication technology use in vulnerable communities in development contexts, such research has not taken sufficient account of cultural and po…
What do participants participate in? Insights from the community of Peccioli
This research is part of a broader study investigating citizen participation in public decisions affecting the present and future of the community of Peccioli, a small village in Tuscany (Italy), through repeated surveys on a random sample of the citizens, and within participatory processes promoted by the local administration. The paper investigates how citizens who participate in one of these processes take part in political, associative and cu…
Disabled influencers on Instagram
This article illuminates the nexus of social media, celebrity, and marginalised identities by examining the phenomenon of disabled influencers. Since the late 2010s, disability representations in media, culture, and public discourse have increasingly moved away from stigmatising stereotypes. Disabled influencers have emerged as new voices in this landscape but, so far, exploration of their work has been limited. To address this gap, this study ex…
To adopt or to ban? Student perceptions and use of generative AI in higher education
The rapid rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT has sparked debate regarding their impact on higher education. While these technologies have the potential to transform traditional educational practices and enrich personalised learning experiences, they also raise ethical and organisational concerns, including the potential for misinformation and a lack of scientific rigour. This study surveyed 1366 university st…
‘I Use ChatGPT , but Should I?’ A Multi‐Method Analysis of Students' Practices and Attitudes Towards AI in Higher Education
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have the potential to revolutionise educational practices, but their use raises ethical and organisational concerns for higher education institutions (HEIs). We investigated Italian students' perception and usage of AI tools at the University of Udine using questionnaires ( N = 531) with fixed and open‐ended items and semi‐structured interviews ( N = 60). The findings reveal that while over two‐thirds of student…
Aging in the digital era
This paper examines how older adults in Italy engage with mobile phones. A study involving 344 older adults was conducted to explore ownership and usage patterns of the mobile phone compared to other major digital technologies, and to analyze the phone's specific subjective significance. The concept of structural dissonance is introduced to highlight the discrepancy between the mobile phone and digital technologies in general, typically designed …
Civil society organisations and community bonds in post-pandemic small-scale localities
This study examines Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in post-pandemic small-scale localities through focus groups with representatives from 15 organisations in Peccioli, Italy, a village of 4,700 inhabitants recognised for its innovative governance. We investigate how aggregative and conflictual community dynamics shape the associative landscape. Findings reveal that CSOs envision the ideal community as cohesive yet inclusive, emphasising both …
Reimagining disaster risk assessment
Disaster risk assessment has traditionally focused on fatalities, economic losses, and physical damage, offering only a partial understanding of how risk is produced and experienced across social groups. This study advances an equity-centered approach by centering informational equity (the distribution of timely, comprehensible, and actionable information) as a critical yet underexamined dimension of disaster vulnerability. Through a multi-method…
Beyond the hype
Sociology (13 works) · Political science (10 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Citizen journalism (6 works) · Media studies (6 works) · Business (5 works) · Politics (5 works) · Public relations (5 works) · Social media (5 works)