Presente e futuro delle televisioni: alcuni concetti chiave

The opening article of this special issue on the present and future of television is meant to highlight some key issues concerning the production, reception and contents of contemporary television. In particular, the authors believe that con-tents define the specificity of the television offer, beyond the technological devices that increasingly shape subjective and diversified modes and styles of consump-tion. Amongst the peculiar characteristics that distinguish television and define the specificity of its language, its ontology and the relationship it establishes with the audience, the authors mention televisuality, scheduling and liveness. An attempt will be made to show how much these three concepts belong to the “old” television and “new” television, and they seem to underline, today, the more social and par-ticipatory dimension of television viewing, both linear and on demand. In the final part of the article, the authors will focus on the core content of television today, TV series and serials, and in particular on the fundamental social role they play in raising awareness on key social issues such as mental health, gender discrimina-tion, domestic violence, cultural, religious and ethnic differences.