Description
Ethereal Shadows
Communications and Power in Contemporary Italy
Franco “Bifo” Berardi, Marco Jacquemet, & Marco Jacquemet
Translated from Italian by Jessica Otey
Focusing on Italian “videocracy,” Ethereal Shadows documents the emergence of the first Italian media mogul, Silvio Berlusconi, and his rises and falls from political power. It also explores Italian media activism through three case studies: a discussion of the first autonomous free radio station, Radio Alice
(broadcasting in Bologna between 1977 and 1979); a review of Italian Internet activism focusing on the site Rekombinant.org (launched in 2000); and a chronicle of the emergence of OrfeoTV in 2002, the first illegal micro-TV station in Italy.
“Ethereal Shadows is a landmark achievement in contemporary media studies: a must read for anyone who wants to understand contemporary media power— the impasses of totalitarian spectacular power as well as the exodus routes of autonomous constituent communication powers.” — Jack Z. Bratich, author Conspiracy Panics
Cover Illustration and Book Design by r&s media
Jacob Brooks –
I read this book over the summer and loved it. It is a short and informative read- It provides in a short space a whole lot of awesome things- a crash course in Italian politics, a framework for analyzing the interrelation of politics and mass-media, and an amazing story of the successes and failures of grassroots political action. I suggest it to anyone interested in technology and social justice.