Ricerca | Digital Cultures and Sports Research Laboratory (DiCS Lab)

1. Regulations

1.1 Full Professors, Associate Professors, Researchers, Adjunct Professors, Teaching Assistants, PhD students, Research Fellows, Subject Matter Experts belonging to DISPS can be members of the LAB. The wish to join LAB should be expressed by sending an email to mtirino@unisa.it.

1.2 The DiCS LAB elects a Scientific Coordinator from among its members every three years.

1.3 By 31 December of each year, the LAB prepares an Annual Report, with a summary of the activities carried out, to be sent to the Department Council for its approval.

1.4 The LAB has an international Scientific Committee divided into two sections (‘Digital Cultures’ and ‘Sport Communication and Media’).

2. Description and aims
The DiCS LAB, active since 5 February 2025, promotes research activities in two macro-areas

• digital cultures: the LAB intends to develop research on the connections between technology, cultures and society, with a particular focus on the composite and differentiated role of digital media in contemporary communication, cultural and economic processes. The LAB intends to develop research on phenomena such as, among others: fandom and audiences; celebrities; transmedia, intermedial and cross-media imaginaries; the serialisation of culture; media emotions and affects; forms of narrative and literary communication; environmental communication; artificial intelligence; the Metaverse; Media Education, Media Literacy and the transformations of the educational field; processes of culturally-based territorial regeneration; the evolution of the concept of wellbeing;
• Sports narratives, practices and industries: the LAB aims to develop research on the role of media and mediatization in the transformation of sports practice, forms of storytelling and narratives, institutions and organizations. The LAB intends to develop studies on phenomena such as: the mutation of sports cultures; the evolution of sports journalism; sports imaginaries (cinema, TV seriality, comics, literature, etc.); the practices of construction and representation of the identity of athletes and practitioners in social media; the processes of social inclusion and exclusion in sports; the role of communication and narration for the sports industry; the intertwining of mediatization, globalization and commercialization of sport; theories of the mediatization of sport; the social, educational and cultural role of sports media.

3. Transdisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity
Starting from the centrality of the sociology of cultural and communication processes, the LAB encourages and promotes interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, with particular reference to the disciplines and research interests established within DISPS. Furthermore, the LAB intends to design partnerships with other universities, study centres, institutions, organisations and associations, at a national and international level for the development of research and training projects in the field of digital cultures and sports communication.

4. Objectives
The DiCS Research Laboratory has the following objectives:

• to design, implement and promote empirical research activities;
• to organise seminars and conferences;
• to promote training events (talks, courses, masters);
• to encourage participation in national and European calls for proposals;
• to stimulate the publication of research products (monographs, collective volumes, issues of scientific journals, etc.);
• to develop innovative forms of research communication in line with the objectives of the Third Mission.

5. Scientific Committee

Digital Cultures Section: Gabriele Balbi (Università della Svizzera Italiana), Roberta Bartoletti (University of Bologna), Davide Bennato (University of Catania), Giovanni Boccia Artieri (University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”), Antonella Cava (University of Messina), Marco Centorrino (University of Messina), Giovanni Ciofalo (Sapienza – University of Rome), Manolo Farci (University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”), Giovanni Fiorentino (Università della Tuscia), Laura Gemini (University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”), Gennaro Iorio (University of Salerno), Fabio La Rocca (Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III), Gevisa La Rocca (University of Enna "Kore"), Silvia Leonzi (Sapienza – University of Rome), Andrea Lombardinilo (Università of Rome III), Giacomo Manzoli (University of Bologna), Antonella Mascio (University of Bologna), Maurizio Merico (University of Salerno), Alessandra Micalizzi (University Pegaso), Lorenzo Migliorati (University of Bergamo), Roberta Paltrinieri (University of Bologna), Francesca Pasquali (University of Bergamo), Gianfranco Pecchinenda (University of Napoli "Federico II"), Marco Pedroni (University of Ferrara), Guglielmo Pescatore (University of Bologna), Ivan Pintor Iranzo (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Maria Angela Polesana (IULM University), Claudio Riva (University of Padova), Geraldina Roberti (Sapienza – University of Rome), Cosimo Marco Scarcelli (University of Padova), Marica Spalletta (Link University), Vincenzo Valentino Susca (Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III), Gabriella Taddeo (University of Torino), Mario Tirino (University of Salerno).

Sports Communication and Media Section: Pablo Alabarces (Universidad de Buenos Aires), Luca Bifulco (Università of Naples "Federico II"), Andrew Billings (University of Alabama), Thomas Birkner (Universität Salzburg), Nico Bortoletto (University of Teramo), Riccardo Brizzi (University of Bologna), Simona Castellano (University of Salerno), Paolo Corvo (Università di Scienze Gastronomiche – Pollenzo), Veera Ehrlén (University of Jyväskylä), Tom Evens (Universiteit Ghent), Valentina Fedele Panico (Link University), Erminio Fonzo (University of Salerno), Kirsten Frandsen (Aarhus University), William Gasparini (Université de Strasbourg), Ivo Stefano Germano (University of Molise), Richard Giulianotti (Loughborough University), Ronaldo George Helal (Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), Rahsan Inal (Erzincan Binali Yildirim University), Honorata Jakubowska (Adam Mickiewicz University), Katarzyna Kopecka-Piech (Marie Curie-Sklodowska University), Klara Kovacs (University of Debrecen), Francesca Romana Lenzi (Università di Roma 'Foro Italico'), Simon Ličen (Washington State University), Maurizio Lupo (IRCrES – CNR), Barbara Mazza (Sapienza – University of Roma), Emanuele Rinaldo Meschini (University of Bologna), Enrico Michielini (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Dario Nardini (University of Padova), Alessandro Porrovecchio (Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale), Giovanna Russo (University of Bologna), Pippo Russo (University of Firenze), Nicola Sbetti (Università di Bologna), Daniele Serapiglia (Universidad Complutense Madrid), Michael Skey (Loughborough University), Tang Tang (Kent State University), Jacco van Sterkenburg (Erasmus University).

6. Activities

23.05.2025 - Event "La Macchina dei Sogni. Spin off" [The Dream Machine. Spin off]. Seminar "Il concetto di gioco nelle scienze sociali. Da Huizinga alla gamification" [The concept of play in the social sciences. From Huizinga to gamification], by Michelle Grillo (University eCampus) (h 10-11.30). Seminar "Sport e fumetti. Dalla disegnata agli spokon" [Sports and Comics. From disegnata to spokon], by Lorenzo Di Paola (Université libre de Bruxelles) and Sara Virnicchi (University eCampus) (h 11.30-13). https://www.disps.unisa.it/uploads/rescue/475/28138/locandina.pdf.

17.04.2025 - Seminar "L'atleta digitale e la scherma. La performance tra razionalizzazione e datafication" [The digital athlete and fencing. Performance between rationalisation and datafication], by prof. Luca Bifulco (University of Naples "Federico II"). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n-B6flx9DNYlnieG96aDZShGpv9YuQnB/view?usp=drive_link.

04.04.2025 - 16.05.2025 - Seminar series La Macchina dei Sogni. Sport, media, letteratura [The Dream Machine. Sports, media, literature] - 3rd edition. https://www.disps.unisa.it/uploads/rescue/475/27888/locandina-definitiva.pdf.

01.04.2025 - Seminar "Vestire le serie. Moda e televisione" [Dressing the Series. Fashion and Tlevision], by prof. Antonella Mascio (University of Bologna), as part of the seminar series Universi Seriali - 3rd edition. https://www.dispac.unisa.it/uploads/rescue/487/11288/2025.04.01-vestire-le-serie-tv.-moda-e-televisione-universi-seriali-2a-ed.-.pdf.

31.03.2025 - 01.04.2025 - Second Research Seminar “Celebrity, Ageing and Media Narratives Between Sports and Entertainment”, as part of the research activities of the PRIN PNRR 2022 “Celebr-età. Ageing Celebrity in Contemporary Media and Sport Context” https://www.disps.unisa.it/uploads/rescue/475/27836/programma-definitivo.pdf.

29.03.2025 - Workshop "Liminaria MMXXV - Hauntologica" - NINA Casagalleria, Cautano (Benevento) https://www.disps.unisa.it/uploads/rescue/475/27869/liminaria-mmxxv-leggero.pdf.

14.03.2025 - Seminar "Sport, inclusione, benessere sociale. Per un sapere interdisciplinare" [Sport, Inclusion, Social Well-Being. For an interdisciplinary knowledge"] Campus Baronissi, PalaUnisa C https://www.disps.unisa.it/uploads/rescue/475/27809/2024.03.14-sport-inclusione-benessere-sociale.pdf.

7. Contact

dics.lab@unisa.it