Prof. Antonella Salvatore Represents JCU at "Digital Italy" 2018 Summit
Professor Antonella Salvatore – Digital Italy
The “Digital Italy” summit was launched in 2016 by “The Innovation Group,” an Italian management consulting company, in order to develop national strategies for digital innovation in the economy, society and public administration. Every year, analysts from “The Innovation Group” gather the summit presentations by economists, business leaders, politicians, public administration representatives, scholars and international experts in an annual report.
Professor Antonella Salvatore, Director of the Center for Career Services and Continuing Education, was invited to the panel discussion on cultural heritage, tourism and digitalization. Representatives of Google, “Roma Tre” and “Luigi Vanvitelli” universities, Zètema Progetto Cultura, the Naples Archaeological Museum, and Rome’s National Gallery of Modern Art, were also present at the roundtable. All of the panelists have recently been involved in projects for the integration of new technologies into cultural domains.
The discussion stressed the importance of digital tools to make culture and art more accessible. Even though technology cannot substitute for the physical presence of artworks, monuments or historical documents, it can help spread knowledge outside museums, archeological sites, and archives. Technology can make culture easier to experience for everyone, regardless of one’s cultural background or disabilities, and can attract a part of the Italian population, like teenagers and young adults, that is not easily involved in cultural initiatives. Augmented reality, 3D printing, online platforms, digitized documents and masterpieces, as well as videogames, are some of the new tools that have recently entered the Italian cultural world.
Watch the video recap of the Digital Italy Summit 2018
As Professor Salvatore underlined, “The role of visitors has dramatically changed in our contemporary world. Visitors and tourists do not want to be just active, but interactive. Technological tools can have an important role in addressing different targets and attracting a wider audience.” According to Professor Salvatore, it is very important to preserve actual cultural goods and to have some boundaries when integrating culture with technology. In fact, technology should just be a means to empower culture, which must not be turned into an empty spectacle. If used conscientiously, new media can increase people’s awareness and appreciation of Italy’s incredible cultural treasures as well as contribute to the expansion of the tourism industry.
(Giorgia Tamburi)
