Ecologia dei media e pratiche di digital pollution

The paper addresses the issue of digital pollution from the perspective of media- ecological theory. Such an approach is useful in addressing the ideas of “pollution” and “toxicity” (two words that are indeed part of the ecological semantics) in relation to communication in the public sphere, which today is seen as a crucial site of challenges for democracies. First, the paper traces the theoretical framework of media ecology and how the environmental metaphor helps to frame the problem of maintaining a moral balance in communication. Then, it delves into the issue of media pollution by expanding the environmental perspective through the discussion of social systemic and socio-anthropological approaches. The focus on the system/environment distinction, typical of the social systemic approach, can complement the ecological paradigm in defining the “ecological threats” attributed to digital space and technologies. The socio-anthropological approach allows a better understanding of how digital pollution relates to the maintenance of social order and the socio-cultural tensions generated along the boundaries of digital practices.