Thesis title: Indagine esplorativa sui consumi mediali della popolazione sorda in Italia
The exponential evolution of digital technologies and communication platforms has radically reshaped the global media landscape. In today's information ecosystem, characterized by ubiquitous and multichannel consumption, there is an urgent need to ensure access to content for all audiences. Among these, the deaf and hard-of-hearing community represents a specific segment whose media consumption patterns merit in-depth and targeted analysis.
Advances in fields such as automatic transcription, remote interpretation services, and the widespread dissemination of visual and video content (with subtitles and captions) have offered unprecedented opportunities to overcome communication barriers historically associated with traditional media. However, the existence of tools does not automatically guarantee effective inclusion.
The survey aims to map the media consumption patterns of the deaf community: understanding the media consumption habits of this specific audience—which platforms they prefer, how frequently they use them, which sources they consider most reliable, and how they access key services such as information and entertainment—is crucial.
The categorical imperative for institutions, companies, and industry professionals is, now more than ever, to utilize every available means and tool to reach specific audiences, adapting content and delivery methods.
From the analysis of data emerging from a questionnaire administered to a diverse group of deaf or hard-of-hearing people, it emerged that social media and television dominate the most popular media among all age groups, regardless of education or occupation. These are sources accessed not only for entertainment but also to meet the need for information.
Streaming platforms are widely used, with YouTube and Netflix leading the way.
The most frequently searched news items in the media concern politics and current affairs, as well as health and wellness.
Streaming platforms and newspapers are considered the most reliable sources of information, and a great deal of trust, especially in emergency situations, is placed in institutions and in communications via official channels.