PUP Partners with UAY & PACA for International Communication Conference 2022
In partnership with the Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta (UAY) and the Pacific and Asian Communication Association (PACA), the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) organized the International Communication Conference 2022 (ICC 2022) with the theme of “Reconfiguring Communication Discipline in a Post-Truth Society,” held last October 27–29, 2022, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (PST), via Zoom and was broadcasted through ICC’s official Facebook page.
The three-day conference was attended by more than 200 communication and media practitioners, educators, researchers, and students from the ten (10) participating countries, including the Philippines, United Kingdom, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, India, Hungary, Indonesia, South Korea, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
It was supported by Media and Information Literacy ASEAN Network, Centre for Neighborhood Studies (CeNS), Blue Chips Research and Consultancy Co., Batangas State University, Batangas State University College of Arts and Sciences, and Davao De Oro State College.
ICC 2022 Day 1: Sharpening Communication as a Double-Edged Sword in a Post-Truth Society
Before the keynote speakers were introduced, the notable figures of each institution gave their gratitude to the organizers, scholars, and students who attended the conference. PUP President Dr. Manuel M. Muhi, UAY Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Arief Setyano, on behalf of Director Prof. M. Sutyanto, and PACA Secretary General Dr. Eunkyoung Choi, gave their warm greetings and emphasized the role of communication in navigating real-life experiences and its influence to contribute to the vast body of knowledge.
Dr. Tom Sykes and Dr. Stephen Harper of the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, who served as the conference’s keynote speakers, highlighted the role of populism in conspiracies with the topic, “Conspiracy Theories: Right, Left… and Center?”
Given the current political context and media situation, the keynote address emphasized a message as the statute of the conference: the role of communication in the digital world has never been more visible than ever.
Followed by the two (2) plenary speakers on the first day of the morning session, Dr. Fernando E. Reyes of Westford University in the United Arab Emirates and Dr. Eunkyoung Choi of Hanshin University in South Korea, shared their expertise in online communication, their respective points of topics.
Dr. Reyes, with his “Online Photo Sharing as a Social Networking Strategy” and Dr. Choi’s study “Game and E-sports Communication,” expounded on the emerging concepts of enticing audiences in online communication. For instance, photo sharing is said to successfully make concepts or stories viral, highlighting its significance in the era of content creation. Meanwhile, online streaming centering on e-games led to the idea of “new professionals.” Esports are hovering prominence in society through their recent inclusion in international competitions like the Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia.
Contrariwise, in the afternoon session, Dr. Stephen Pryde-Jerman of the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom and Dr. Jose Reuben Alagaran II of PUP discussed insightful topics in communication as the plenary speakers narrated a contrasting timeline of discussion.
Dr. Alagaran, in his “Attention Economy in the Post-Truth Era: Implications to Communication Education,” tackled the undertones of the word Post-Truth, meaning that people would likely believe in something because it felt true, although there are facts to say otherwise, given the current context of digital contents and schemes.
Concurrently, Dr. Pryde-Jerman, in his presentation on “Propaganda and Misinformation,” traced back the history and origins of the two concepts above and pointed out their interconnectedness in the formation of shared information now found in the highly democratized digital world.
Dr. Alagaran underscored that modern-day individuals are riddled with online content. This was supported by Dr. Pryde-Jerman’s explanation of the “building blocks” of propaganda and how war and business propaganda are created to enable mass participation.
After the plenary sessions, the conference was sustained with the first batch of research presenters in the 1st parallel session on Gender and Development in Communication, which aims to discuss current trends in communication and a pondering point for policy developments. Further, the second batch of research presenters in the 2nd parallel session pursued scholarly discussion in the light of Communication, Family, and Children and Communication and Education.
ICC 2022 Day 2: MIL, a Shield in Times of Information Crisis
The second day of the conference commenced with a talk from Dr. Wong Lai Cheng of MIL for ASEAN Network in Malaysia, and Dr. Seon-gi Baek of Sungkyungwan University, in South Korea. Both speakers put forward the weight of recent times, especially the trailing wake the pandemic has continued to give.
Dr. Cheng, in her presentation on “Media Information Literacy in Southeast Asia,” depicted how the pandemic brought complications in teaching MIL, not just to the young learners but to the teachers themselves. The region felt the lack of the ability and expertise to teach the subject and expound its significance, intensified by the inadequacy of technological equipment to carry on remote learning.
Dr. Baek, in his ongoing study of “Global News Media in the Post-Truthful Society: A New Paradigm and Vision of the Global News Media in the Chaotic Pandemic Situation,” stated that the pandemic spotlighted the centuries-old issues and discriminations in races, elitism, and gender inequality.
The post-truthful society is explored by examining the difference in privileges; in education, economic status, the west, and the east, the global north and the global south. The case of MIL with dilemmas faced by the media in the post-truthful society begged the varying contexts to be analyzed and studied.
In the afternoon session, Dr. Mario Delos Reyes of CeNS demonstrated “Communication and Neighborhood Science: Challenges and Opportunities.” Introducing several projects that integrate the utilization of Virtual Reality (VR) for neighborhood sciences, his presentation emphasized the relevance of technology in other realities experienced in real life and how they can be used as a tool to build mobilization in catastrophes. Communication challenges like social and cultural considerations, coordination with the authorities, and the shift to online platforms come to light upon the operation of the said projects.
Furthermore, the last plenary session of the event was discussed by Dr. Mohsin Hassan Khan from the School of Media and Communication Studies at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. The three case studies about “Growing Islamophobia and Hate-Speech” accentuated the need for more scholarly communication discourses and studies that will spotlight the Islamic community’s experienced stereotypes and hateful remarks.
During the conference’s second day, three parallel research discussions were conducted that delved into the topics of 1. Communication and Education, 2. Communication and Community Development, 3. Theorizing Communication, 4. Communication and Culture, and 5. Communication, Politics, and Governance.
ICC 2022 Day 3: Navigating Communication, Management, Industrial Revolution, and Mass Media
The submission of 60 abstracts from communication and media allies ranging from students, researchers, panelists, speakers, and moderators is a manifestation of the successful scholarly discussion in the communication discipline since ICC was on hiatus due to the pandemic.
With the 6th parallel research discussion centering on Communication, Management, Industrial Revolution, and Mass Media, the event’s conclusion strengthened its message about the prominence of communication during vulnerable times.
Dr. Rudolf Anthony Lacerna, the overall chair of ICC 2022 and chairperson of PUP Department of Communication Research said in line with the UNESCO Global MIL Week:
“Through this week this raises awareness of the needs for an international effort towards helping all people become informed, consumers, and creators of information. I am glad that some of the research presented by the participants and the lecture of speakers are aligned with this objective. Hence, this international conference is also among our contributions to the UNESCO Global MIL Week.”
To conclude the conference, an awarding ceremony was held to recognize the wit of the presenters. As announced on the official Facebook page ICC 2022, the best presenters are as follows:
Gender and Development in Communication:
- “Ansaveh?: An Audience Reception Analysis of Vice Ganda’s Films” by Jonas C. Villaveza of Batangas State University.
- “The Barbie and Ken Culture: A Study on Gendered Consumption in Lifestyle Journalism Articles” by Janice D. Roman, MA. of Far Eastern University.
Communication, Family, and Children:
- “The Effect of Emotional Intelligence on Communication Skills of Primary School Children” by Dr. Sharifah Sofiah Syed Zainudin Reem Abed of University Putra Malaysia.
Communication and Education:
- “Integration of Positivity Treasure Chest and Its Effectiveness on Students’ Academic Emotions in Probability and Statistics Class” by Ms. Grace Ann A. Mercado of Don Honorio Ventura State University.
- “Exploring Theory X/Y Assumptions as Determinants of Relational Maintenance Communication among Selected Public Elementary Schools in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, Philippines” by Ernesto Leyson Bastida Jr. of Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Dasmarinas.
Communication and Community Development:
- “Social Media Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study on Crisis Communication in the Municipality of Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines” by Alliana M. Laban of the University of the Philippines Open System.
- “The Fake News Narratives and the Role of Mediatization in Europe” by Djezair Ziberi of the University of Malaya and Dr. Mohsin Hassan Khan of University of Management and Technology Lahore Pakistan.
Theorizing Communication:
- “Bridging Film Literacy and Social Media Literacy in the Discourse of MIL Ecology” by Marie Lara Pauline Bobier of the University of Sto. Thomas and Lee Jacob L. Fabonan of the University of the Philippines.
Communication and Culture:
- “The Fighting of Religious Identity Symbols as a Political Communication Tool in the Digital Era” by Riski Amalia Yanuartha, S. I. Kom., M. Sos. and Putri Hergianasari, S. IP., M. IP. of Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana.
Communication, Politics, and Governance:
- “The Perception of Political Satire Amongst Generation Z and Baby Boomers in Malaysia” by Lee Chun Lian of UOW Malaysia University.
Communication, Management, Industrial Revolution, and Mass Media:
- “A Study of Distinguished eSports Industry of South Korea” by Mr. Hyuk-jin Lee and Asst. Prof. Dr. Eunkyoung Choi of Hanshin University.
- “Evaluation of the New Media Platforms of the Department of Education (DepEd)” by Mr. Royal L. Ancheta of Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Conferences like ICC are a joint effort to advance communication and media studies, mobilize research in understanding phenomena and trends in a post-pandemic setting, and inspire the instigation of research conduct.
On the same note, the three-day conference depicted the social reality the world currently faces and elaborated on it using educational tools and methods, giving definitions and terms over the vague experiences that defined the recent years. Although the program ended appropriately, invitations for other conferences and journal publications signal another chapter that ventures towards learning.
