This paper examines the transformation of intellectual authority in the era of digital platformization. Drawing upon Pierre Bourdieu's field theory and a reconstruction of the historical conditions for the role's emergence, it proposes a "tri-dimensional" model of the intellectual, wherein the media field acts as a structural interface necessary for the conversion of specific capital into public authority. The article argues that the current media ecosystem has subverted the traditional sequence of legitimation: while authority historically derived from the autonomy of the field of production, the media field now imposes a heteronomous logic where visibility precedes internal consecration. Within this framework, the figure of the influencer is interpreted not as a degeneration of the intellectual, but as their structural homolog, born from mutations in the media field and the shifting balances between fields of production and the public sphere.

Le nuove regole del gioco: campo mediatico, meta-capitale algoritmico e crisi dell'autorità intellettuale / Ralli, A.. - In: H-ERMES. - ISSN 2284-0753. - 30(2026), pp. 30-46. [10.1285/i22840753n30p30-46]

Le nuove regole del gioco: campo mediatico, meta-capitale algoritmico e crisi dell'autorità intellettuale

Alessandro Ralli
Primo
2026

Abstract

This paper examines the transformation of intellectual authority in the era of digital platformization. Drawing upon Pierre Bourdieu's field theory and a reconstruction of the historical conditions for the role's emergence, it proposes a "tri-dimensional" model of the intellectual, wherein the media field acts as a structural interface necessary for the conversion of specific capital into public authority. The article argues that the current media ecosystem has subverted the traditional sequence of legitimation: while authority historically derived from the autonomy of the field of production, the media field now imposes a heteronomous logic where visibility precedes internal consecration. Within this framework, the figure of the influencer is interpreted not as a degeneration of the intellectual, but as their structural homolog, born from mutations in the media field and the shifting balances between fields of production and the public sphere.
2026
intellectual authority; influencers; field theory; Pierre Bourdieu; public intellectuals; media, platformization; algorithmic meta-capital; digital public sphere; symbolic capital.
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Le nuove regole del gioco: campo mediatico, meta-capitale algoritmico e crisi dell'autorità intellettuale / Ralli, A.. - In: H-ERMES. - ISSN 2284-0753. - 30(2026), pp. 30-46. [10.1285/i22840753n30p30-46]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1770643
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