Dai saperi esperti al saper esporti: la legittimazione culturale dell’attivismo degli influencer

Abstract

In the current social media ecosystem, highly visible online content creators seem to become nodal intermediaries not only for market goods but also for a set of actions and social knowledges traditionally placed in the category of activism. Recent developments in the influencers cultures and industries reveal a profound change in activism, involving not only tools and modes of action but also the objectives, subjects, and the very conception of the phenomenon. This article examines how the legitimisation of influencer activism occurs, attempting to trace some research paths that can improve the formulation of a problem. We hypothesise that behind these changes in legitimization lies a deeper transformation of the social imaginary, which concerns not only the current centrality of influencers but the way public engagement and the knowledge necessary for action are understood, especially by young audiences. Such changes can be summarized in two macro-phenomena that seem to characterize the forms of cultural intermediation in digital environments: intimization and platformization of the subject.