Elisabetta Ferrari

Elisabetta Ferrari, a scholar of communication and digital studies, explores the intersection of activism and digital technology. She delves into how activists in Italy, Hungary, and the U.S. creatively appropriate and negotiate Silicon Valley's tech narrative. Ferrari contrasts freedom and populism in the tech discourse while discussing the varied activist strategies, from the Hungarian Internet Tax Protest to pragmatic organizing by Philly Socialists. She emphasizes the challenges activists face in rejecting mainstream tech paradigms and introduces her future research on mutual aid during the pandemic.

Elisabetta Ferrari, an interdisciplinary scholar of digital technologies and social movements, discusses her latest book on activist imaginaries. She delves into how activists creatively appropriate and challenge Silicon Valley’s narratives around technology. Ferrari highlights significant movements from Hungary, Italy, and the U.S., revealing how they merge mainstream tech with their political goals. She emphasizes that while appropriation and negotiation thrive, genuine challenges to the dominant technocratic vision are rare. Plus, she shares insights on her upcoming research on mutual aid in the digital age.