The media connotation of crime has undergone relevant shifts in the last years, in conjunction with the evolution of journalism, the diffusion of mainstream media and the advent of the internet. This is what the communication research highlights, thanks to some successful theoretical insights in the field of communication studies. Technology, entertainment, journalism information: the logic and power of media turn into social culture, molded by the narration (also criminal) of risk marking daily life. This is an aspect emphasized by Beck in World at Risk (2009), about the digital risks and the social failure of institutions. In this account, he highlights the effects of globalization in reference to the construction of symbolic universes both frantic and fleeting, and corroded by the permanent narration of violence. Hence follows the introduction of innovative gist as “new landscapes of communication” and “digital construction of the world”, also inspired by the metaphors of images conceived as “bullets” and cameras seen as “weapons”. The metamorphosis of the digital world is fostered by the dialectic between mainstream and social media as they present a picture which is often complimentary of crime and its emotional implications. The new informative tendencies suspended between mainstream and new media, more and more responsible of the narrative construction of daily life, academic as well (d’Alessandro). The narration of academic risks can be endowed with a significant media relevance, that can be highlighted by the informative echo gained by serious crimes.
As a matter of facts, the deaths of Giulio Regeni and Valeria Solesin had a great impact on media: their assassination had not only informative implications, but also emotional and political effects on the public opinion, also considering the fact that jobs or places once considered as safe tend to be less and less welcoming these days (Lombardinilo). The decision to carry out research and doctorates abroad conveys a sociological and journalistic reflection on the real perception of risks linked to the attendance of places once considered devoid of risks, as churches, schools and universities (Morcellini). More specifically, the academic environment conceived as a place of uncertainty provide interesting research insights both on the media frame of fear. This is an aspect unfortunately emphasized by the several mass shootings happening in the United States, as in the case of the massacre perpetrated at Virginia Tech (2007).