Mapping Discourses of Shared Micromobility Practices and Devices within the Italian Press.

Bikes, cargo bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters are essential to our daily (im)mobilities, shaping narratives that define urban spaces as either liveable – safe, clean, decent, and zero-emission – or not. This paper investigates the newspaper media representation of urban shared micromobility practices and devices in Italy from 2010 to the present.

Micromobility encompasses human-powered and motor-assisted lightweight vehicles (max. 350 kg) operating at low speeds (max. 45 km/h), with fixed or free-floating parking, designed for short distances. We are witnessing the rise of individualized but shared services that leverage geolocation and on-demand travel through smartphone apps (Behrendt et al. 2023). These vehicles are becoming cultural and high-tech objects that promote municipalities' sustainable mobility plans (Boréus et al. 2024).

They are at the centre of vibrant debates regarding regulation, design, nudges, and the planning of urban spaces that accommodate these devices. While they provide mobility services to many, they also impose usage limits based on infrastructure accessibility, device design, gender, age, and occupation. Shared micromobility involves advanced technology, service creators, and (non-)users, along with discourses that shape secure and environmentally friendly everyday urban landscapes.

I will discuss the outcomes of a thematic and discursive analysis of Italian newspaper articles on this subject from the TIPS database (Giardullo & Lorenzet 2016), which is part of my PhD project at the University of Padua.

References

Behrendt, F., Heinen, E., Brand, C., Cairns, S., Anable, J., Azzouz, L., & Glachant, C. (2023). Conceptualizing Micromobility: The Multi-Dimensional and Socio-Technical Perspective [Online]. Preprints.org. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202209.0386.v2 [last consultation 24.04.2024].

Boréus, K., Bradley, K., & Tornhill, S. (2024). Breaking through banal consumerism? Representations of postconsumerist perspectives in mainstream press media. Journal of Consumer Culture, 24(1), 155-174.

Giardullo, P., & Lorenzet, A. (2016). Techno-Scientific Issues in the Public Sphere (TIPS). EASST Review, 35(4), 14–17.