Analysis of Competencies Employed in the Implementation and Management of Digital Media in Italian Art Magazines

Abstract

Art magazines occupy a prime position in the field of literary evidence. They are and critical working tools for the analysis of art in all mediums and allow the interpretation of various angles: e.g. figurative, cultural, and social. Furthermore, they allow the artistic discourse to be brought out of academic contexts, cultural institutions, museums, and galleries and reach a wider public.

As is well known, however, cultural decadence and especially the advent of digital information have strained the publishing market. But despite initial alarmism, these newly introduced technologies have proved to be all but a threat. On the contrary, they have created the conditions that have allowed for print to rise again. Indeed, in many cases, in order to defend themselves against the unlimited accessibility offered by their online counterparts, art magazines have decided to adapt through the creation of websites and social media to promote the print product and ensure its survival.

The need to re-invent content to adapt to new mediums, and the creation and management of digital resources, have required input in this area of previously nonexistent competencies within publishing companies that now find themselves performing new and unseen tasks. This thesis aims to identify how these new skills have developed in Italy through consultation of statistical data, specific critical literature, and empirical research involving some of Italy's leading art magazines.