TRANSNATIONAL ACTORS OR JUST SPECTATORS? HOW SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECT SECOND GENERATIONS' SENSE OF BELONGING AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN? EGYPTIANS IN ITALY.

Media have a part in defining the formative experiences of a generation, not only because they are so deeply embedded in the everyday practices as to become a “natural” element of its social landscape and its common sense, but also because historical events, as well as cultural values and their symbolic forms, are often mediated by them. It is what's happened with the “Arab Spring”, and the possibilities offered by ICT of being constantly connected with the countries of origin that led the second generations to a more conscious reflection on their identity and their “being transnational”. The thesis focuses on the outbreak of the Arab Spring and the importance of social networks in the relationships between Egypt and Egyptian second generations in Italy: were Egyptian second generations transnational actors or just spectators of what was happening in their country of origin? What were the factors that have influenced second generation transnationalism? Which new transnational practices and strategies have they developed? How digital media are interwoven in the (re)negotiation of affiliations and sense belonging?