Mediterranean Network Publics and Citizenship. Civic engagement, political participation and cultural practices in the social media landscape in the Mediterranean area.
Stefania Manca – Maria Ranieri Eds.

Over the last few years, interest in the potential of social media for increasing people’s participation in public spaces and citizenship has gained momentum. In addition to use for sharing cultural, social and educational content, social networking has come to the fore in political contexts, especially during the 2011 Arab uprisings. Since then, their role in supporting civic participation and political/cultural change has been widely debated, with authors adopting contrasting positions. The papers presented in this Issue report on the role of social media in different contexts and for a variety of purposes: for civic learning, political engagement and cultural practices; as an instrumental part of the Arab Spring; as an element of religious and spiritual life; and for civic education in formal and informal learning contexts