Territorial embeddedness and virtual connections of knowledge and creative workers in Milan

The paper discusses the relation between territorial embeddedness and virtual connections among knowledge and creative workers in Milan by challenging the idea that co-presence is crucial for interaction and that face-to-face (F2F) relations are essential for their success. Knowledge and creative workers are thus embedded in a wider “space”, that is not neces - sarily a physical one, but also virtual and ICT mediated. The literature on co-presence and interaction (particularly within the economic sphere) originates from Becker’s (1974) and Granovetter’s works (1983). The social mechanisms and internal relations of groups of professionals are explored by many authors that elaborate on the idea that, notwithstanding the technological improvements in mobility and communication, people still have to meet in person and that F2F interactions and physical proximity still matter(Scott 2000; Storper 2013). Both theoretical and empirical researches assign many functions to F2F interactions: notably, the functions performed cover different aspects of the job sphere, being them acknowledged as the most efficient means of communication, strong vehicles of creativity, information, knowledge and trust, and a way through which people can “be into the loop”, in order to have their reputation tested and screened.