THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
Contemporary Challenges for Organisational and Strategic Communication
2025 Conference of the ECREA Organisational and Strategic Communication Section (OSC)
14-16 May 2025
Università degli Studi di Cagliari
Keynote
From Fringe to Mainstream: The Mediatization of Contested Voices and Organisational Challenges
Giovanni Boccia Artieri
Abstract:
In an era of accelerated mediatization, organisations face a paradoxical communication landscape where visibility, legitimacy, and influence are increasingly shaped by algorithmic amplification and platform logics. This keynote explores how strategic communication navigates the blurred boundaries between the mainstream and the fringe, analysing the organisational challenges posed by digital activism, influencer-driven advocacy, and the rise of alternative media ecosystems. While platforms offer new opportunities for engagement and reputation-building (the Good), they also expose organisations to risks such as misinformation, polarisation, and trust erosion (the Bad). At its most extreme (the Ugly), the entanglement of corporate, political, and fringe communication strategies can foster disinformation loops, radicalisation, and reputational crises. Drawing on cases from the fringe democracy project, this talk will examine how organisations adapt to contested publics, manage crisis narratives, and negotiate legitimacy in a hybrid media system where authority is constantly challenged.
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