Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Fedez and J-Ax are two pop Italian singers. Their songs are meaningful artifacts as they mock and provoke listeners on relevant issues in the contemporary society such as preaching communism while wearing a Rolex, national identity, technology, and social media. This relational content analysis studies the lyrics of the song Vorrei Ma Non Posto (I would like to [post] but I don’t post [on social media]) as it describes and derides habits regarding the ubiquitous technology usage. The artists argue that everything people do is posted on social media. On one hand, this connotes people’s necessity to show and receive appreciation from other people about having attended a concert; on the other hand, it indicates insecurity. Social media are large storage spaces capable to retain information for a long time. Their memory together with approval from the community helps calm insecurity. Yet, the practice of posting everything online denotes a lack of critical elaboration in front of a song. Indeed, even though the song explicitly ridicules extensive technology and social media usage, at live concerts fans still prioritize the recording of their experience through their technological devices instead of listening to the song without having to worry about anything else. As a result, fans carry out an oppositional reading of the artifact. Such choice shows that new media are changing the way we experience. They have become a fundamental aspect of our lives and they distract us from re-elaborating the messages we are exposed to.