Social media and digital culture impact youth and memory

Psychiatrist Paolo Crepet has addressed the psychological impact of digital culture on younger generations, noting that constant social media scrolling can lead to emotional desensitization. He suggests that the rapid transition between positive and negative content causes a loss of emotional nuance, leaving only anger behind.

Crepet also discussed the sociological shifts in integration and social unrest, observing that while first-generation immigrants often seek to assimilate, subsequent generations frequently question existing social structures. He noted a contradiction in modern protest behaviors, where individuals may contest digital capitalism while simultaneously utilizing the tools and platforms owned by the very entities they criticize.

In a related exploration of digital alienation, artist Mariano Mazzelli presented ‘In the twenty-twenty’ at Pigneto. The photographic installation uses visual sabotage to critique how social media and digital screens consume collective memory and reality, aiming to restore a sense of truth to the collective trauma experienced during the pandemic.