Does \u2018bigger\u2019mean \u2018better\u2019? Pitfalls and shortcuts associated with big data for social research

\u2018Big data is here to stay.\u2019 This key statement has a double value: is an assumption as well as the reason why a theoretical reflection is needed. Furthermore, Big data is something that is gaining visibility and success in social sciences even, overcoming the division between humanities and computer sciences. In this contribution some considerations on the presence and the certain persistence of Big data as a socio-technical assemblage will be outlined. Therefore, the intriguing opportunities for social research linked to such interaction between practices and technological development will be developed. However, despite a promissory rhetoric, fostered by several scholars since the birth of Big data as a labelled concept, some risks are just around the corner. The claims for the methodological power of bigger and bigger datasets, as well as increasing speed in analysis and data collection, are creating a real hype in social research. Peculiar attention is needed in order to avoid some pitfalls. These risks will be analysed for what concerns the validity of the research results \u2018obtained through Big data. After a pars distruens, this contribution will conclude with a pars construens; assuming the previous critiques, a mixed methods research design approach will be described as a general proposal with the objective of stimulating a debate on the integration of Big data in complex research projecting

Luca Pacioli and his art

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Communication, digital media and future: new scenarios and future changes

Proceedings of the MEDCOM 2020+1 International Conferenc

Communication, digital media and future: new scenarios and future changes

Digital media, technology, new theoretical perspectives have revolutionized the ways of interacting among individuals, acquiring information and knowledge, teaching, behaving in multicultural society and so on and so forth. The impact of new ways of communicating, social media, political platforms on daily lives is evident. Multifaced and different aspects of these topics have been discussed in the VI World conference on Media and Communication (MEDCOM), which was supposed to be held in Cagliari, in May 2020, and it has been postponed to June 2021, online. During that year, communicating revealed even more relevant for citizen live. We assisted to the great importance of best practices in crisis communication, and the critical situations generated by fake news and information overload. Many different topics and fields were included in the conference and, in this volume, we collected 22 papers representative of the discussion, open to scholars from all over the world. The volume is organized in 8 sessions, each one exploring one specific topic: 1. Social Media: Impact, Future, Issues; 2. Public Sector Communication; 3. Politics, Ethics and Communication; Section: 4 Multiculturalism, Cultural Studies, Youth, and Gender Communication; 5 Media Education; 6 Media and Corporate; 7 Screen Cultures; 8 Communication and Covid-19 Pandemic. The last session has been added to the conference after the first postponement to favor analysis of the future development of communication and its complexity after the pandemic experience

Exploring the acoustics of ancient open-air theatres

The theatres of Antiquity, Greek and Roman, constitute public buildings of the utmost importance inthe history of Western culture and in universal cultural heritage. Many of these spaces are being used fortheir original function with or without only minor adaptations. If they are well preserved and/or restored,these performance buildings attract large audiences to representations of classical and contemporary plays,thereby serving the purpose for which they were built in the Ancient Age. These theatres bear witnessto the existing relationship between architectural work, visual and acoustic experience, and dramatic art.Although the majority are located in the Mediterranean region, these structures were also built in themajor cities of the ancient world in Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, and beyond. This paper aimsto summarise and critically review research published in the literature regarding their acoustic aspects,with particular emphasis on Roman theatres. These pieces of research emphasize the importance of thediffraction of sound in the tiers of thecaveaand the good intelligibility for speech of the Greco-Romantheatre

Proceedings of the Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality International Conference HTHIC 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze, what are the risks and benefits involved in co-creating a cultural brand ecosystem by adopting the perspective of one stakeholder. The longitudinal empirical study follows an owner-manager of a small VillaSpa located in a historic area of summer villas. Interviewing the owner / managergave us an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon as we gathered data on how that single actorconstructing a brand ecosystem viewed value co-creation. We explored the data by reference to priorliterature on value co-creation and brand ecosystems. The results contribute to the research on brandecosystems by discussing a case that is novel in researching the building of a brand ecosystem in the contextof heritage and tourism. The results demonstrate the importance of involving all relevant stakeholders in cocreating a brand ecosystem. The findings should encourage future research on the joint narratives of allrelevant stakeholders. The research also illustrates a perspective on failing in the course of building a brandecosystem.</p