The reputation economy : understanding knowledge work in digital society

This book represents the completion of a research work that began as my doctoral project for the Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Milan, and continued in the post-doctoral phase of my career through a number of related works. I am deeply grateful " rst and foremost to Adam Arvidsson for his extensive guidance and support over these years; this went well beyond the duties of a standard doctoral supervision, and represented a true inspiration and a model for me. I am also particularly thankful to Ivana Pais, who got me involved in some of the projects that are part of this book and always supported me in every possible way, coming to represent an invaluable reference in my academic life. I owe special thanks to the Graduate School in Social and Political Sciences at the University of Milan and particularly to my doctoral co-supervisor Antonio Chiesi, Luisa Leonini, Roberta Sassatelli and Giampietro Gobo for their long-lasting support that did not cease after I left the Graduate School. I am deeply grateful to all the people who helped this work to signi" - cantly improve and particularly to Chris Smith, who has been the best examiner a Ph.D. student could dream of. Thanks also to Paul Adler, Angela McRobbie and James Fitchett who took time to read and comment parts of my work; to Carolina Bandinelli and Alberto Cossu, with whom I discussed basically everything that is now in this book, over the last few years; my colleagues and friends in Milan and especially Alessandro Caliandro, Tiziano Bonini, Alessandro Delfanti, Massimo Airoldi and Davide Beraldo, Elanor Colleoni and Marianna D’Ovidio; my fellow Ph.D. colleagues and especially Lisa Dorigatti; my colleagues at Middlesex Media; my family and my longtime friends. Above all, however, I am grateful to Francesca, since not a single word of this book would have been written without her patience, understanding and support.