The “Inhospitable Pandemic”. Local Effects of Covid-19 on Migration and Intercultural Public Communication

Abstract

Abstract During the period of the blockade, the migrant community experienced a condition of increased hardship, made even more critical by the difficulties related to the possibilities of participating in the social, cultural but also working life of the local community, forcing many of them to stop participating in compulsory labor market insertion programs and to take advantage of educational and training supports. This critical situation has made it even more necessary to address these barriers and support the immigrant population in developing media-digital skills to intercept their needs and accelerate their integration into the community more easily. Digital and institutional forms of communication are crucial in defining the growth prospects of individuals, more so when the objective becomes to create pathways of social and cultural inclusion in contexts of crisis. Without this informational and socio-political ‘care’, the pandemic society risks becoming inhospitable in its local and global dimensions.