93553 - Organization and Management of Multimedia Systems (Lm)

Learning outcomes

The course provides the competences to critically analyze technologies, languages and multimedia contents both from an industrial and a cultural point of view. Particular attention will be given to the study of the integration of different media languages within telecommunication and entertainment systems, taking into consideration economic-institutional contexts and their relationships with new consumer cultures. At the end of the course, the student: -masters the methodologies of multimedia systems analysis; -has a thorough knowledge of the languages of telecommunications and digital entertainment; -is able to critically analyze the advantages and the issues in the integration of different media systems, as well as their relationship with consumer cultures; -is able to apply the acquired knowledge to the design, organization, and management of multimedia systems; -is able to evaluate the effectiveness of multimedia systems for telecommunications and entertainment.

Course contents

The course will take ‘digital plenitude’ as its starting point to analyse contemporary media culture in its myriad practices, interactions and remediations. It will explore perspectives relating to the trivialisation of elite culture, the breakdown of gender barriers and hierarchies, ‘popular modernism’, the integration of legacy media systems (television, radio, cinema, newspapers) and digital media (on-demand platforms, podcasts, social media) and their ongoing recombination through practices of remixing, serialisation and incorporation into a continuous media flow.
This complexity will also be situated within specific industrial contexts, examining communication infrastructures and technologies, the role of nation-states and legislative frameworks, business and governance models, and the strategic and economic role of marketing departments. To understand how digital content is conceived, circulated and consumed by users, it is essential to examine the institutions, policies and strategies that shape and influence the production and distribution chain.

• Through the examination of case studies, with a particular focus on entertainment, the course will be structured around the following thematic areas:
• An in-depth examination of the concepts of ‘digital plenitude’, ‘popular modernism’, ‘remix’, ‘flow’ and ‘datafication’ in the digital context
• the specific characteristics of digitally produced and curated content, and the contextual dimension of the content industry within the audiovisual landscape;
• The professions involved in digital entertainment, job insecurity, monetisation opportunities and relevant organisational frameworks;
• the continuity between content, formats and business models and previous media and industrial models;
• content types and trends: youth consumption, generational clusters, redundancies in the flow, ‘content without content’, sludge content and short-form formats, popular entertainment and the resilience of generalist programming;
• meta- and self-reflexivity in the media industries: branding, positioning and promotional paratexts.

With regard to the various topics to be explored in depth, specific lectures will be devoted to meme culture and comedy – a traditional meeting point between the serious and the light-hearted, between information and entertainment, and between the media industry and pop culture. Particular attention will be paid to its devices and formats, to the processes of memefication, clipping and remixing, to its forms of professionalisation and its production routines, also in relation to its history and specific languages, which bear witness to its extreme adaptability: to the media within which it operates, to national and industrial contexts, to editorial and commercial policies, and finally to the complexity of digital media.

Readings/Bibliography

• Jay David Bolter, Plenitudine digitale. Il declino della cultura d’élite e lo scenario contemporaneo dei media, minimum fax, Roma 2020.
  
• aa.vv., "Chi controlla i meme controlla il mondo?", Vol. 31 di "Link, idee per la televisione", RTI, 2025
• Texts downloadable at the following link:

Teaching methods

The course includes weekly lectures and classroom activities with active participation of students. Depending on the actual number of participants, meetings with experts and/or operators in the sector may be organised.
Active learning of all participants will also be encouraged through plenary discussions and classroom work groups. Please refer to the teaching calendar published in this page for all the logistical details.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students] as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Assessment methods

For attending students, the examination consists of two parts: a final project (preparation of slides) and a written test with 3 open questions at the end of the course. The final project, to be completed individually before the exam, must focus on a single case study, to be agreed in advance with the lecturer; the written test (on a PC) is aimed at assessing the adequate study of the bibliography and examination materials. The points awarded for the project will be added to the mark for the written test; details and clarifications on the examination procedures will be provided during the first week of the lectures.

For students NOT attending the course, the examination consists of a written test with 6 open questions aimed at assessing the adequate study of the texts indicated in the corresponding bibliography.

Any students who have attended the course in previous academic years may take the examination by referring to the bibliography and examination format for their year of attendance.

Students will be assessed on their ability to:

- offer an organic and sufficiently articulated view of the topics addressed and the study materials;

- use technical language appropriate to the academic context;

- analyse the subject of the course with critical autonomy and the ability to synthesise, avoiding a merely scholastic and descriptive style.

Formative gaps, improper vocabulary, lack of orientation on the macro lines of the course and analytical deficiency are assessed negatively. Insufficient knowledge, uncertain or inappropriate language will result in an outcome that will not exceed a pass. Purely notional exposition will result in a fair assessment. In relation to the expected results, the ability to interpret, make interdisciplinary connections and lexical appropriateness will be valued.

In order to sit the examination, it is compulsory to register for the list via AlmaEsami. Non-registered students will not be admitted to take the test. The written test is held in computer rooms: in order to rationalise its use, enrolled students must remove themselves from the list if they decide not to sit the exam. On the day of the exam, students must present themselves with their UniBo credentials and an identity document.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students] as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

AI Policy: AI can be a useful tool to support individual study through further insights, summaries, and self-assessment pathways. However, the use of AI during in-person examinations is prohibited. Any use constitutes a breach of academic integrity. Examinations take place in a controlled environment, in computer laboratories where internet browsing is disabled; the use of personal electronic devices of any kind is prohibited.

Teaching tools

Slides, audiovisual extracts, digital sources, textual and multimedia resources shared with students.

For attending students, extra material relating to each lesson will be uploaded onto the appropriate teaching support platform (Virtual); the access key will be made available during the first lesson.

Class discussion will also be encouraged by means of digital interaction tools (Wooclap, Answergarden and the like).

Office hours

See the website of Matteo Marinello