Reflections on the impact of the online passage of meetings in an association

The introduction, during the pandemic, of online meetings has also influenced the institutional and associative dimension: like many other associations, in fact, we have experimented with online scientific and organizational meetings. Such spaces, during that period, welcomed concerns and sometimes personal events. We have therefore experienced both the pleasure and the fatigue of returning to presence, with the related load of confronting our human limits (movements in space, time involved, fatigue). After an initial period, we also began to notice the limits of the online mode: the intermittent quality of involvement, the implicit possibility of emotional distancing etc. Psychological research also shows that the online experience is less effective on a cognitive level and the perceptual system, of emotions and thought, is activated differently than in the in-person environment. On the other hand, familiarity with online communication has made us known beyond our territorial area, changing memberships, associative identity and ties. Finally, we know that the technical equipment is not sufficient to give meaning to the meeting, and this leads us to question ourselves on how to maintain bonds and belonging and promote authentic participation.

Keywords: Online meeting, Pandemic, Institutional dynamics, Real and virtual Environment, Associative belonging, Authentic participation.

Luisella Pianarosa, Saura Fornero, Cristiana Novero, Alice Mulasso, Riflessioni sull’impatto del passaggio online degli incontri in un’Associazione in "GRUPPI" 1/2024, pp 129-139, DOI: 10.3280/gruoa1-2024oa22685