The potentially negative effects of the media on children: this is the theme of the book Anima e Byte: Media, Valori e Nuove Generazioni (Soul and Bytes: The Media, Values and the New Generations), written by Elisa Manna, head of the Cultural Policies Division of the Italian Center for Social Studies (CENSIS). The book, published by FSP Editions Italy, was launched on 28 May at the Pontifical Lateran University.
In it, the author says that social networks and, even prior to this, TV, have profoundly changed our ways of thinking, family relationships, friendships, love and rapport with the external world, and this has upset the balance of things, especially for children. Written in a conversational style and directed to the general public, the book investigates the effects of advertising on human relationships, the media’s construction of reality, violence, and the knowledge and image of woman in this media-driven age.
Our sisters hope that the book will sensitize parents and teachers to the subject so that they, in their turn, can help children to increase their ability to interpret and interact with the messages disseminated by the media.