Addressing Inequality. Four Paths for a Mediology of Education

Abstract Addressing Inequality Four Paths for a Mediology of Education Giovanni Ragone1, Donatella Capaldi2 1Università di Roma La Sapienza; 2Università di Roma La Sapienza; giov.ragone@gmail.com Mediological reflections on education, intertwined with pedagogy, date back half a century (McLuhan, Postman, Jenkins, Livingstone, Kellner; Maragliano, Pireddu, Balzola, Moriggi). A question arises about: Has mediological reflection considered the educational systems in their reproducing or counteracting inequality? In this perspective, four aspects should be examined, 1) in what measure mediamorphosis influences the historical process leading to a partial weakening of educational institutions as a factor of social mobility; 2) which are the educational "vocation" and orientation of mediology according to the society dynamics; 3) how specific media processes foster inequality and what patterns of inequality they can express; 4) how many and promising experiences in educational field exist, applying mediology for contrasting inequality reproduction. On the first point it is clear the transition from the industrial production system to the informational one has changed the social pact basis of democratic societies and welfare state organizations, including the educational system. In the context of a profound social classes restructuring, the relevance of the traditional alliance between middle-class intellectuals and lower-middle working classes has collapsed, especially in shaping policies of income redistribution and access to universalistic services; moreover, the balance between formal and informal activities in learning activities has been reversed. These dynamics have greatly undermined the education system role as a knowledge transfer and as a bridge from the wage-earning classes to the bourgeoisie from social democratic and liberal point of views. In the domain of consumption overwhelming the production in the networks world, "cultural capital" is not mainly reproduced at the school: The traditional education function of introjecting and legitimizing the dominant class norms, as Bourdieu theorized, has been losing meaning. Paradigms for an education able to counter inequality in today's world must therefore be redefined. Regarding the second point, it can be argued that mediology is a fundamental educational resource for the individual and social groups because founded on the circumstantial paradigm and on the "anti-environment" construction, aimed at raising awareness of the mediamorphosis processes and at training skills in media production. It is a knowledge that can spill over in an organized way encouraging people involvement in the territory problems, in relational situations and active citizenship, in the other knowledge elaboration, and in creating values. With respect to the third point, several factors of inequality have been described: a) lack of accessibility to devices and the net, b) passive, serial or "flat-formed" learning and communication technologies use, c) insufficient learning practices and MILs skills, d) non-collaborative-design approach to work, self-education, and communication. The varying levels individuals and groups are able to achieve relative to these factors determine a substantial inequality as early as the exit from the educational system, which may worsen or diminish over a lifetime in the absence of adequate educational experiences. This is verifiable by the positive effects of field experiences. In particular, the introduction of a learning model based on the application of mediological knowledge to the enhancement of territories seems effective, an example of which will be offered in the contribution. References McLuhan, M., Hutchon, K., McLuhan, E. (1977). City as Classroom: Understanding Language & Media". Trad. It. Roma: Armando, 1980. Postman, N. (1995). The end of Education. Redefining the Value of School. New York: Knopf Jenkins, H., Purushotma, R. et al.. (2009). Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. In The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning. Chicago: MacArthur. Pireddu, M. (2014). Social learning. Le forme comunicative dell’apprendimento. Milano: Guerini Scientiifica Livingstone, S., Sefton-Green, J. (2016). The Class: Living and Learning in the Digital Age. New York: New York University Press. Kellner, D., Share, J, et al.. (2019). The Critical Media Literacy Guide: Engaging Media and Transforming Education.Boston: Brill Academic. Maragliano, R. (2019). Zona franca. Per una scuola inclusiva del digitale. Roma. Armando. Balzola, A. (2021). Edu-action. 70 tesi su come e perché cambiare i modelli educativi nell'era digitale. Milano: Meltemi. Moriggi, S.,(2024). Postmedialità. Società ed educazione. Milano: Edizioni Libreria Cortina.