Digital Mafias - Social media, memes, music, and symbolic communication in Italian organized crime



The course examines the ways in which criminal organizations such as Cosa Nostra, ’Ndrangheta, and Camorra interact with and exploit digital platforms and social media culture to construct public identities, reinforce their reputation, and disseminate narratives of power. Spaces such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube host content in which mafia symbols, criminal aesthetics, musical references, and stories of belonging intertwine, contributing to the circulation of imaginaries and cultural codes linked to organized crime. Drawing on approaches from criminology, digital sociology, media studies, and textual analysis, the course equips students with critical tools to understand how organized crime both operates within and represents itself across the contemporary media ecosystem—from the use of memes and emojis to the strategic exploitation of TikTok’s performative dynamics.