Alberto Acerbi. Tecnopanico: Media digitali, tra ragionevoli cautele e paure ingiustificate [Technopanic: Digital media, between reasonable precautions and unjustified fears]. Il Mulino, 2025. pp. 192. ISBN 978-88-15-39147-6

Abstract

Should we succumb to technopanic or embrace techno-optimism in this so-called post-truth era? In his latest book, Technopanic (currently available only in Italian), Alberto Acerbi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Trento, suggests a cautious middle path. Drawing on his background at the interface of cultural evolution, psychology, anthropology, and sociology, Acerbi provides a timely and, one might argue, much-needed, empirically grounded reflection on the contemporary anxieties surrounding digital technologies. Although some examples refer to the Italian sociopolitical context, the book’s arguments are highly transferable to broader international debates.