Fabio Giglietto

Fabio Giglietto is a Full Professor of Internet Studies at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo, where he also completed his doctoral studies. His academic work explores the intersections of computational social science, political communication, and the dynamics of digital platforms. In the classroom, he instructs students on topics such as digital social network analysis alongside the relationship between generative artificial intelligence and media. Beyond his traditional academic roles, he is a founding partner of Digit Srl, a benefit-corporation spin-off of the University of Urbino that designs digital applications focused on civic engagement, sustainability, social innovation, and the public dissemination of scientific knowledge.

Since founding the Mapping Italian News Research Program (MINE) in 2017, Giglietto has steered this initiative as an institutional umbrella for analyzing how digital platforms influence public opinion, electoral integrity, and health communication. Although its series of externally funded sub-projects have concluded, MINE remains the core home for his research line. Within this framework, he co-developed CooRnet, an open-source tool that pioneered the detection of coordinated link sharing behavior. While the tool's active development ceased following the shutdown of the data access platform CrowdTangle, the underlying methodology continues to influence the field, inspiring downstream independent packages like CooRTweet, which are maintained by other researchers.

Giglietto has contributed extensively to European research and policy initiatives. He served as a work package leader for the artificial intelligence verification project vera.ai and as a partner in the disinformation monitoring initiative PROMPT. Additionally, he has lent his expertise to the European Commission, serving on the Joint Research Centre expert group concerning systemic risks on large online platforms under the Digital Services Act, and evaluating proposals for the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. His recent empirical research into platform governance—specifically a working paper analyzing the impact of Meta's political content reduction policies—has drawn significant attention, earning a citation in a European Parliament written question and receiving coverage in prominent national outlets such as Il Sole 24 Ore, Open, and Il Resto del Carlino.

Actively engaged in the international scholarly community, Giglietto maintains memberships in several key academic organizations, including the International Communication Association, the Association of Internet Researchers, and the Italian Association for Political Communication. He has also contributed to the governance of the field through his service on the board of the Research Committee on Sociocybernetics within the International Sociological Association. Through these diverse roles in research, teaching, policy advisory, and public engagement, he continues to investigate the evolving structures of our hybrid media system and the societal challenges posed by coordinated digital manipulation.