Communities of Food Activists. Communication and prefigurative politics in Solidarity Purchasing Groups (GAS)

In recent times consumer cultures become more engaged with environmental and social sustainability. Political consumerism movements have, for decades, been promoting a set of values, proposals and “narratives” that combine concern for the environment and social justice with profound changes in everyday life and lifestyles (Boström, Micheletti, e Oosterveer 2019)(Boström, Micheletti, e Oosterveer 2019). In these terms, the communication of these Alternative food networks (Goodman, DuPuis, e Goodman 2012; Forno e Weiner 2020) must be able to combine such prefigurative politics with compelling imagery and narratives. In Italy, the purchase of products made by adopting criteria of sustainability and social responsibility or from organic farming, made through the collective organization of GAS, the Solidarity Purchasing Groups, is a distinctive solution among the many ethical consumption practices implemented in different territories or countries (Grasseni 2013; Forno, Grasseni, e Signori 2015). It is a solution that requires both a broader change in daily behaviours and consumption habits as well as an ongoing, visible and structured widespread participation. A community, indeed. The contribution presents the main findings of the research. Its objective was to analyze the values, imagery and internal and external communication tools of solidarity purchasing groups. We analyzed the websites, profiles on social network sites and visual identity of more than 300 GAS present in the Italian territory. In this case study, it was possible to observe the strategic importance of integrating the characteristics of GAS (small groups, usually informal, often active in relations with civic engagement practices present in the territory) with the need to build an appropriate communication. The challenge is to realize a communication style suited to the contemporary networked activism characteristic of today’s political consumerism and social movements (Bennett e Segerberg 2013; Treré 2018).