Media, virtual communities, and musics of oral tradition in contemporary Sardinia

Abstract

This article focuses on some Facebook groups centred on Sardinian traditional music, analysing the dynamics of interaction amongst the members, the contents they share and, more generally, the use they make of the Internet. Using the methodology of the virtual ethnography, the research reflects on the impact that Internet has had on both the music diffusion and the related information, especially on musical practices which, until recently, were mainly based on face-to-face relationships. By proposing the concept of a ‘Virtual Sound Group’, the work analyses the deep impact Facebook and other digital platforms have had on the way the music is diffused, on the variety of sound documents available to the users, on how live events are advertised, and their use as tools for the self-promotion of both the musicians and the aficionados.