The International Conference
Communication in times of (poly)crisis and digital disruptive transformations
Organizers:
Faculty of Journalism and Communication Studies, University of Bucharest
The Institute for International Journalism of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University
Yuriy Fed’kovych Chernivtsi National University of Ukraine
The International Conference
Communication in times of (poly)crisis and digital disruptive transformations
Virtual and in-person sessions
June, 22-23, 2023
Bucharest, Romania
The current context in Europe and around the world seems to be marked by a sense of perpetual, although uneven and differently experienced, crisis and uncertainty. On the background of (post)Covid pandemic situation, issues that have been put on hold – climate change, food insecurity, population aging and migration, to name just a few – are reappearing, with a greater force, powered by the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing inequalities. These difficult challenges have triggered populist discourses, favor nationalism and extremism, mainly because the digital informational ecosystem favors the simplicity and emotionality of those responses.
In these boisterous times, trustworthy communication is essential; the high capacity of conspiracy theories to go viral, the threat of exposure to contradictory information and fake-news/disinformation might contribute to making people more vulnerable and confused and also might persuade them to accept and to disseminate ideologically-driven content and polarized information.
The purpose of this conference is to consider the state of digital informational ecosystem and communications research in the times of (poly)crisis and uncertainty. The conference theme focuses on the intersection between the role of quality press, traditional journalism, political/public communication and digital technologies, all understood as potential enhancers of democracy, yet vulnerable when under attack.
We invite participants to submit theoretical and empirical proposals that might contribute to a critical discussion on the reconfiguration of journalistic and political/public communication practices in a hybridized and polarized networked media environment.
· How can the emerging disruptive forms of communication and information be meaningfully delineated?
· How do strategies and tactics change in relation to the construction of (alternative) agendas, claims and politics?
· How do journalists engage in (re)enforcing public confidence and accountability?
· How has the proliferation of digital populism, misinformation and disinformation/fake news transformed political communication?
We are interested in papers on the following topics:
@ Disinformation and misinformation in media and political/public communication;
@the vulnerability of audiences in major crisis situations – the impact of gender, social class, age and other identity categories;
@ Ethical and moral dilemmas of using Artificial Intelligence in public communication;
@hate speech in digital informational ecosystem;
@ digital communications and the re-actualization of populism and nationalism;
@ Conceptual and methodological challenges of studying journalists’ roles in a digital environment;
@ communication role in citizen sciences and participatory transformation of research;
@ Marcom and creative industries strategies;
@data-driven propaganda strategies and conspiracy theories;
@ work, gender and new technologies;
@organizational communication (in time of crisis), communication campaigns, types of activism and political movements in digital informational ecosystem;
@ communication of climate change and adaptation; politics of climate;
@ (higher) education in digital informational ecosystem.
Special Panel: Exploring (dis)continuities in work, gender and technology
The session seeks research that employs work-centered perspectives alongside a gender or intersectional lens to examine the current context, marked by (poly)crisis and technological disruptions. Traditionally, the media field has privileged the symbolic as an object of inquiry, but as digital technologies have become ubiquitous, it has manifested a growing, trans-disciplinary concern with understanding how the means of communication shape material life, not only how they represent it. With the rise of the platform economy, and the increasing proportion of knowledge workers who depend on communication to carry out their tasks, the media field is turning its gaze towards work-related matters. We want to contribute to this turn by exploring the (dis)continuities that digital technologies create between work, home and leisure time, while keeping in mind that the impact will differ across identities. Gender remains a core organizing principle in our society, but we acknowledge that it is influenced and often becomes less prominent in relation to other identity categories, namely, social class, age, race/ ethnicity, educational background, occupational status, job type, bodily and cognitive abilities, non-normative sexualities, and nationality. We welcome with equal interest submissions that belong to the media field and to other disciplines, both empirical and theoretical approaches connected to the following areas:
· Work in communication industries
· Knowledge workers and communication practices
· Technology and paid/unpaid labor in the platform economy
· Work and intersectional (digital) inequalities
· Designing technology and policy for digital wellbeing
Practical information
The abstract (300 words) will contain author’s/authors’ details, the study’s purpose, research questions, employed methodology or approach, (potential) results, including references.
The submission languages are Romanian and English. The time allocated to each presentation will be 15-20 minutes, and it can be delivered online/virtual and face to face (the corresponding author is expected to express this choice when submitting the abstract). The deadline for abstract submission is April, 23, 2022, at the address: conference@fjsc.ro
NO participation fees.
If you have further questions, please contact the organizers at the address: conference@fjsc.ro
Scientific Committee
Jatin Srivastava, PhD, Full Professor, Ohio University, USA
Natalia Nechaieva Yuriichuk, PhD, Associate Professor, Yuriy Fed’kovych Chernivtsi National University
Oleksandr Dobrzhanskyi, Dr Habil., Professor, Dean, Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
Volodymyr Fisanov, Dr.Habil., Professor., Department of International Relations and Social Communications, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
Kruglashov Anatoliy, Dr. Habil., Professor, Head, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Director, Research Institute of European Integration and Regional Studies, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
Marian Petcu, PhD, Full Professor, University of Bucharest, Romania
Antonio Momoc, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Bucharest, Romania
Camelia Beciu, PhD, Full Professor, University of Bucharest, Romania
Camelia Cmeciu, PhD, Full Professor, University of Bucharest, Romania
Georgeta Drulă, PhD, Full Professor, University of Bucharest, Romania
Adriana Ștefănel, PhD, Lecturer, University of Bucharest, Romania
Pierre Morelli, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Lorraine, France
Dana Popescu-Jourdy, PhD, Associate Professor, Université Lyon 2 Louis Lumière, France
Delia Cristina Balaban, PhD, Full Professor, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Nataša Simeunović Bajić, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Niš, Serbia
Gheorghe-Ilie Fârte, PhD, Associate Professor, „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, Romania
Elena Prus, PhD, Full Professor, Universitatea Liberă Internațională din Moldova, Chișinău, Republica Moldova
Florin Ardelean, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Oradea, Romania
Irina Diana Mădroane, PhD, Associate Professor, West University of Timișoara, Romania
Organising Committee
Antonio Momoc, Dean – FJSC, PhD, Associate professor, University of Bucharest
Romina Surugiu, Vice Dean – FJSC, PhD, Associate professor, University of Bucharest
Jatin Srivastava, PhD, Full Professor, Ohio University, Institute for International Journalism (IIJ)
Serhii Lukaniuk, Head of International Office, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
Nataliia Nechaieva-Yuriichuk, PhD, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
Nicoleta Apostol, PhD, Lecturer, University of Bucharest
Alexandra Bardan, PhD, Lecturer, University of Bucharest
Book of abstracts, available on https://zenodo.org/records/8197720
Sesiune de comunicări științifice studențesti „Informare, cunoaștere și transformări digitale – București, 24 iunie 2023
Contextul actual din Europa și din întreaga lume pare să fie marcat de un sentiment acut de criză și incertitudine. Problemele care au fost puse în paranteză pe perioada pandemiei – schimbările climatice, insecuritatea alimentară, îmbătrânirea populației și migrația – reapar, cu o forță mai mare, alimentate de efectele creșterii neîncrederii în media și comunicarea publică.
Scopul acestei sesiuni de comunicări este de a analiza starea ecosistemului informațional digital în societatea (post)pandemică. Sesiunea își propune să găzduiască lucrări ale studenților și masteranzilor care analizează intersecția dintre rolul presei de calitate, jurnalismul tradițional, comunicarea politică/publică și tehnologiile digitale. Lucrările se vor înscrie în câmpul științelor comunicării, însă se pot propune abordări și teme interdisciplinare.
Sunt acceptate lucrări individuale, cât și comunicări realizate de echipe formate din 2-4 studenți (licență/masterat). Fiecare participant /echipă participantă la manifestare se poate înscrie trimițând până în data de 21.05.2023, pe adresa sesiune_studenteasca@fjsc.ro, un abstract de 300-500 cuvinte, în care să fie precizate pe lângă informații despre autor(i) și numele profesorului coordonator, titlul prezentării, motivația alegerii temei, întrebările de cercetare, abordarea sau metodologia, rezultate preconizate/obținute și referințele.
Prezentarea comunicărilor se va efectua în formă de prezentare tip PPT/Canvas, raport sau poster în următoarele limbi: română, engleză sau franceză. Anunțul de acceptare a lucrării și programul preliminar al conferinței se vor trimite celor interesați până în data de 15.06.2023.
Programul și afișul conferinței sunt disponibile mai jos.