I hold a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and a Master's degree in Public and Political Communication (University of Turin). My academic experience includes studying as an Erasmus student at Sciences Po Lyon and Sorbonne University. Prior to the PhD, I worked at the Europe Direct Centre in Lyon and within the Interreg France-England program where I focused on EU institutional communication/ events/project manager. I am an activist dedicated to promoting youth engagement in decision-making processes in rural areas across Italy and Europe.
My research focuses on European institutional communication and its relationship with the public sphere. The digital transition has transformed how EU institutions communicate with and engage citizens, leading to the emergence of new discussion spaces and challenges.
Recently, the rise of AI has further altered this landscape. The evolving interactions between humans and machines necessitate careful consideration, particularly in the public sector. The central premise of this research project (i.e its main RQ) is that Europe is transitioning toward a new paradigm of the public sphere, which I conceptualize as "post-digital."
In this context, "post" does not imply the disappearance of digital elements but rather signifies the advent of a new phase.
A qualitative research design axed on frame analysis (via qualitative content analysis) supports the project. The analysis of two sets of expert interviews and of a policy corpus will provide the empirical evidence.
Sara Pane is a PhD candidate under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan - Innovation for Public Administration - Europe Direct Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy.