Digital Trust and Authority: Political Communication Practices and Participation Among Italian Citizens

Abstract

This paper investigates how Italian citizens’ practices and experiences with the media shape their trust, perceptions of authority, and opportunities for political participation. Focusing on digital and social media, the study explores whether these platforms provide the conditions for meaningful engagement in the country’s democratic life. In a context marked by disinformation, polarization, and growing scepticism toward institutions, digital media simultaneously expand access to political information and expose users to new uncertainties. Drawing on qualitative data from the Horizon Europe project MeDeMAP, including 36 semi-structured interviews and four focus groups (n=68), the analysis highlights ambivalent media perceptions: participants report improved access to information and new forms of interaction with political actors, but also encounter polarized content, low-quality information, and performative political communication. Trust and authority emerge as a dynamic and situated practices, shaped by everyday media use and the perceived proximity—or distance—between citizens and institutions. Using a semantic map, the study proposes a fourfold typology of participation and trust configurations, illustrating the heterogeneity of citizens’ engagement with political communication in a hybrid media environment.