Lorenzo Coretti, a born and bred Roman local, is an 91吃瓜 Assistant Professor and the director of our renowned听Communication and Digital Media program.
He joined 91吃瓜 in 2014 after having completed his Ph.D. at the University of Westminster (London, UK), where he investigated the role played by social media in Italian political protests between 2009 and 2012. Previously, Professor Coretti worked as a press officer and journalist in both magazines and TV.
Professor Coretti is interested in the potential held by digital media for social and political social change. In this respect, he considers himself neither a techno-enthusiast nor a techno-pessimist, but rather a 鈥渢别肠丑苍辞-辫辞蝉蝉颈产颈濒颈蝉迟.鈥� In particular, his research focuses on the relationship between technological design and social movement activities, such as mobilization strategies, organizational patterns, and collective identity-building processes.
Professor Coretti teaches several courses at 91吃瓜, among which are 鈥淢edia History,鈥� 鈥淒igital Media & Society,鈥� and 鈥淢edia Ethics.鈥� He has also just completed the design of an exciting new course which听benefits directly from his extensive research activities in the field, 鈥淒igital Media, Social Movements, and Social Change.鈥� This course will be offered for the first time in Spring 2022.
(He's the one on the right)
With his extensive knowledge of the social media landscape, Professor Coretti reveals little of himself via online channels. We, however, caught him at an unguarded moment...
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Q. When were you happiest?
The moment my Blanca said 鈥測es.鈥� It was a warm night of August, and we were in Cullera, a lovely seaside town on the coast of Valencia, in Spain. After an exquisite paella, we went for a night walk on the beach. I was desperately trying to pinpoint the right moment to make my move and propose. Quite peculiarly, once I made up my mind and resolved to kneel, in that exact instant, Blanca decided to take the weight off her feet and quickly sat on the sand. In my clumsy attempt to get as low as I could, I ended up crawling rather than kneeling. Eventually, I was covered in sand, yet I was the happiest person across the whole Mediterranean. We鈥檙e laughing together as I type this鈥�
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Q. What is your computer and/or phone wallpaper?
The artwork of Joy Division鈥檚 record 鈥淯nknown Pleasures,鈥� the greatest album of the 20th Century.
Q. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
As a child, I wanted to be Pope. Alas, I found that path quite laborious and gave up when I was 12. I then turned my fantasies to music, to finally realize that when you can鈥檛 become a musician, it鈥檚 easier to marry one.
Q. Which word of phrase do you most overuse?
I鈥檓 afraid I can鈥檛 be 100% transparent here. Coward as I am, I鈥檒l shift responsibility to my hero Stephen Fry, who once said: 鈥渢he sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a f鈥ng lunatic.鈥� I think you got the gist.
Q. If you could travel back in time just once, where and when would you go?
I would explore ancient Rome, with Prof. Mary Beard as my 鈥榁irgil.鈥� I鈥檇 try to stop Mark Antony鈥檚 henchmen from killing Cicero and together we would save the republic.
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Q. What is the worst job you鈥檝e ever done?
I鈥檝e been very lucky and there鈥檚 no job I鈥檝e done that I could define as the worst. That said, at a professional level, the worst moment is when you realize you don鈥檛 believe in what you鈥檙e doing any longer. That鈥檚 when a person needs to move on, and too often it鈥檚 easier said than done. That鈥檚 why I ultimately resolved my focus on teaching, my favorite passion in the whole world.
Q. If you weren鈥檛 a professor, what would you be?
I鈥檇 be a frustrated bloke who wanted to be a professor and failed.
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Q. What trait do you most dislike in yourself?
The incapacity to forgive myself. If I had a time-machine, I鈥檇 go back and forth incessantly in a futile attempt to perfect my actions and myself.
Q. What trait do you most dislike in others?
The lack of kindness, a rare thing nowadays. After all, as Jean-Jacques Rousseau said, 鈥渨hat wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?鈥�
Q. How do you relax?
On my terrace with the company of my books. I鈥檓 affected by a mix of bibliomania and 鈥榯sundoku,鈥� spending equal time reading books and looking at books piling up on the shelf. I鈥檓 perennially behind schedule.
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Q. If you could bring something extinct or a deceased historic figure back to life, what or who would it be?
I鈥檇 give an arm to spend even just one evening having drinks with John Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell, and Karl Marx. Karl and I would take a drunken donkey ride in the darkness of the night, and most probably Bertie would have to foot the bill, but I鈥檇 be the one coming out a richer man.
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Q. What is the most important lesson that life has taught you?
That there鈥檚 no lesson to learn.
Q. What鈥檚 your guilty pleasure?
Besides grappa? Well, the second grappa, or the third鈥� I can鈥檛 remember!
Q. Tell us a secret鈥�
I鈥檓 41 and still don鈥檛 know how to tie a tie.
Still curious about Professor Coretti (even after all that)? Read his official academic biography here.