Thirteen students from the University of the Republic of San Marino have curated four data journalism projects in collaboration with Il Sole 24 Ore, addressing topics regarding the impact of technology on the environment, politics, pornography, and agriculture.
The results, available online today on the Italian newspaper's website, were obtained as part of the master's degree program in Interaction & Experience Design at the University of San Marino, coordinated by professors Matteo Moretti and Paolo Rigamonti: "Among the various aspects, the CO2 emissions related to the Internet were analyzed," explains the former, "considering, for example, how much electricity is consumed to power servers and how it is produced, including sources such as coal or renewables. Pollution, as it emerged, is similar to that produced by a country like Russia, and in this sense, our work was to make the messages and information involved comprehensible and effective in visual terms, for better use by readers. With respect to pornography," continues the professor, "the intention is to show, among other things, how certain technological issues, such as e-commerce, have been developed precisely thanks to the drive of this sector. Other articles concern the work of the so-called farmers 4.0, who stand out for their highly advanced skills in agriculture and other fields, and an analysis of Donald Trump's last month as US President on Twitter, including censorship and fake news.
On the topic of truth, Moretti contributed to the Porto Design Biennial in Portugal on June 9th with a talk in which, based on his experience as a data journalism expert, he considered "the risks of post-truth, with increasingly entrenched individual positions and beliefs that pose challenges to our shared existence." On June 3rd, he was among the speakers at the web conference "From Data to Storytelling – The Role of Infographics in Pandemic Reporting," to illustrate the creation of the first dashboard in Italy that allowed users to view data on the spread of the virus specifically from their mobile phones, a project developed by his studio.
As part of the Master's Degree in Design faculty's participation in internationally renowned initiatives, Alessandra Bosco and Silvia Gasparotto recently presented a contribution at a conference organized by the University of Rome – La Sapienza. Participants reflected on the contribution collaborative design can make to transforming museums and engaging their stakeholders.
Below is the link to the web page where you can access the projects:
lab24.ilsole24ore.com/unirsm-2021
