Communicating the Italian NRRP through social media

Challenges, strategies, and practices

Authors

Abstract

The CoViD-19 pandemic prompted a significant shift in Italian Public Sector Communication (PSC). Institutions had to rapidly adopt digital communication tools, leading to both acceleration and resistance in technology adoption. This study delves into the communication strategy surrounding the launch of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) in Italy in July 2021. Employing a mixed-method approach, it encompasses qualitative interviews with elite publics in the official NRRP communication project (Italia Domani) and a content analysis of Italia Domani’s Facebook posts. The research addresses two principal questions: (1) What are the key features of NRRP’s social media communication? (2) How does hybridization between PSC and political communication (PC) unfold? Findings indicate that despite serving as the government's designated communication channel, Italia Domani exhibited a comparatively modest level of social media engagement. Furthermore, the research illuminates a narrative in the NRRP communication strategy emphasizing the separation between PSC and PC for the sake of national unity. Overall, the research underscores the intricate landscape of PSC in Italy amidst the pandemic and the NRRP implementation.

Author Biographies

Leonardo Piromalli, Istituto di Ricerche Educative e Formative (IREF, Rome, Italy)

Leonardo Piromalli is a Researcher at IREF – Istituto di Ricerche Educative e Formative. His main research interests lie in the sociology of education and communication, with a focus on the mutual shaping between education and digital technology; persistence and change in education policy and governance; everyday interaction and the collective construction of meaning in educational practice; and the forms and processes of political and public sector communication.
He has been a postdoctoral researcher at Sapienza University of Rome and an adjunct professor at the University of Cagliari and the University of L'Aquila. He is a member of L@bEd (Interdisciplinary Research Lab on Education and Digitalization). 

Dario Germani, Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies (Rome, Italy)

Dario Germani received his PhD in Methodology of Social Sciences at the Sapienza University of Rome. He was a research fellow at IRCrES-CNR in 2022 and at the University of Cagliari in 2023. His research interests include quantitative social research methods and techniques using many software tools (SPSS, R, Stata). Currently, he is a Technologist at the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies (IRPPS) of the Italian National Research Council, working on the FOSSR project (Fostering Open Science in Social Science Research). 

Alessandro Lovari, University of Cagliari (Cagliari, Italy)

Associate Professor of Sociology of Communication at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Cagliari (Italy), he is the coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Research and Social Innovation. He is the vicechair of Organizational and Strategic Communication Section of ECREA, since 2022.
His research focuses on public sector communication, public relations, and health communication, investigating digital platforms impact on organizational practices and citizens’ behaviours. He was visiting research scholar at Purdue University, University of Cincinnati, University of South Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth University (USA), University of Jyvaskyla (Finland). He is author of more than 100 publications in books, encyclopaedias, and journals.

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Published

2024-12-31

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 39 (2024): Navigating the Ethical Landscape: Organizational Dynamics, Engagement, Authenticity, and Societal Impact

Section

Artigos

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