European Communication Research and Education Association
IAMCR’s INTER/ACTIONS: Multimodal Academic Communication Task Force launched its report, Media and Communication Research Through a Multimodal Lens, at the 2025 conference in Singapore.
Presented at the International Council meeting in July 2025, the report highlights the value of initiatives and strategies that stimulate the use of non-written communication of research results (e.g., documentary and ethnographic film, video essay, exhibition, installation, performance). Reflecting on how theorizing through and as production can generate new research insights for media and communication studies, the report identifies several areas where IAMCR’s support of multimodal scholarship would make lasting impact in the discipline.
Download the report at: https://iamcr.org/MCR-report-2025
Direct link to PDF: https://iamcr.box.com/shared/static/0ydqyr8934xpbkau87luyu7v44oatabc.pdf
TOC
What is Multimodal Research?
Examples of Multimodal Research
* Documentary & Ethnographic Film
* Video Essay and/or Videographic Criticism
* Exhibition
* Installation Art
* Performance
Opportunities & Challenges with Multimodal Research
What IAMCR Can Do to Support Multimodal Research
About the Task Force
The report was prepared by members of the IAMCR’s INTER/ACTIONS:
Multimodal Academic Communication Task Force. The Task Force was established with a threefold mandate: (1) to examine the various possibilities for multimodal research; (2) to develop initiatives and strategies that stimulate the use of non-written communication of research findings at IAMCR; and (3) to reflect on the use of such strategies at IAMCR and beyond. Its members include:
* Sandra Ristovska, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder, USA (Chair)
* Arezou Zalipour, Associate Professor, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
* Aysu Arsoy, Associate Professor, Eastern Mediterranean University, Cyprus
* Jeremy Shtern, Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada (EB liaison)
* John L. Jackson Jr., Provost, University of Pennsylvania, USA
* Johanna Sumiala, Professor, University of Helsinki, Finland
* Nico Carpentier, Extraordinary Professor, Charles University, the Czech Republic
* Pedro Pinto de Oliveira, Professor, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Brazil
Baltic Screen Media Review
Deadline: October 15, 2025
Over the past decade, media have quietly become graph-shaped. Newsrooms, streaming platforms, archives, and social networks now depend on webs of entities - people, places, works, events - and the typed relations that connect them. Under labels such as linked data, the semantic web, and knowledge graphs, these infrastructures coordinate how content is produced, described, discovered, licensed, preserved, and increasingly generated by AI. They sit beneath the interfaces we see, but they structure what becomes visible, recommendable, and valuable. Understanding contemporary media therefore requires understanding the graphs that organise them.
The rise of knowledge graphs in media is not an accident of technical fashion; it is the logical outcome of long trajectories in cataloguing, digitisation, and platformisation. Libraries and broadcasters moved from card catalogues to MARC and Dublin Core; heritage institutions spent two decades aligning authority files and opening collections; web companies standardised schema-based markup at scale; collaborative knowledge bases such as Wikidata turned entity curation into a public good; and audiovisual industries confronted the complexity of rights, versions, localisations, and windowing across global markets. In parallel, machine learning made structured, linked metadata indispensable: entity linking, recommendation, search, summarisation, and content moderation all perform better when grounded in persistent identifiers and interoperable ontologies. To all this was added the trust and provenance crises of the synthetic media era, which has led to a renewed emphasis on verifiable origin trails, signatures, and content credentials that are most useful when they are linked. The economics of attention, the politics of authenticity, and the pragmatics of large-scale automation all seem to converge on the need for shared, machine-readable meaning.
These developments demand analysis from multiple angles. From the political economy of media, knowledge graphs can be read as new “coordination layers” that concentrate bargaining power and lock in ecosystems - or, alternatively, as public infrastructures that lower search and verification costs, widen market access, and enable plural discovery. Media industry studies can show how graphs reshape workflows: from pre-production knowledge bases and clearance graphs, to versioning and localisation, to explainable recommendation pipelines in the platform back-end. Media economics can evaluate the intangible asset value of metadata itself, model network effects that arise when catalogues interlink across firms and borders, and assess when openness produces positive externalities and when enclosure yields short-term rents but long-term fragility.
For media semiotics, graphs offer a new instrument to study meaning circulation: intertextuality, world-building, genre drift, and translation across modalities can be traced as patterns of links among works, motifs, and characters. Audience and reception studies can examine how knowledge graph-grounded explanations and provenance labels affect trust and satisfaction, when serendipity expands or narrows horizons, and how fan communities co-produce knowledge that later feeds institutional graphs. Media archaeology could bring historical depth, showing how past documentation practices prefigure today’s ontologies and how reconciliation of “lost” entities can revive suppressed or minoritised histories. Science and Technology Studies could open the black box of standards and maintenance: ontologies are negotiated, versioned, and policed by communities; their categories include and exclude, often reproducing the centre–periphery dynamics of media culture.
For media law and ethics licensing and rights graphs raise questions about privacy and cross-jurisdictional compliance. Provenance frameworks aim to restore trust, yet their governance determines who can certify whom, under what terms, and at what cost. Finally, a public value perspective to media infrastructures asks how these infrastructures can be designed as durable, fair, and pluralistic, especially for small languages and small markets where linked openness may be the difference between invisibility and participation.
This thematic issue takes linked data not as a niche technique but as a constitutive feature of contemporary media. We invite contributions from all the perspectives discussed above to open up the phenomenon and to illuminate the diverse implications that linked data has brought to contemporary media.
Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Submission Guidelines
We invite scholars, practitioners, and interdisciplinary researchers to contribute original research articles, theoretical essays and industry case studies. Submissions should not exceed 8000 words and must adhere to the journal’s formatting guidelines. All manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review process.
- Abstract Submission (400 words) Deadline: October 15th 2025
- Full Paper Submission Deadline: January 23rd 2026
- Publication Date: August 20th 2026
Please submit your abstracts and papers by email to (bsmr/at/tlu.ee). For any inquiries, contact the editorial team at indrek.ibrus/at/tlu.ee.
We look forward to receiving your contributions to this timely discussion.
Issue editor: Indrek Ibrus, Tallinn University
The Baltic Screen Media Review is a free-to-publish open-access peer-reviewed journal that focuses on the analysis of audiovisual media and screen culture, particularly in the Baltic Sea region and its surrounding areas. It seeks to address media transformations within broader European and global contexts, emphasizing both regional specificities and transnational connections. Published by Tallinn University's Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, the journal serves as a forum for interdisciplinary research, offering insights into film, television, new media, and related cultural phenomena. Find out more: https://sciendo.com/journal/bsmr
Edited by: Ashley Riggs, Lucile Davier
Constructive news is an alternative to the negativity of if-it-bleeds-it-leads journalism but still unfamiliar to some audiences and still relatively under-researched, particularly by news translation scholars. And yet, it is “done” across cultures and, therefore, languages. This innovative book contributes to filling that research gap and raising awareness of the phenomenon by showcasing cross-cultural research on constructive news, including in the Global South – a region that has traditionally received less scholarly attention than the Global North.
Constructive news is resolutely multimodal, and so a number of chapters analyse it from that perspective. The chapters also tackle such topics as audience attitudes, service to the local community, pedagogy, financial news, and religious news. This book will appeal to journalism studies and translation scholars, applied linguists, lecturers, journalists, editors, and members of the public who consume, study, or teach news but are looking for alternatives.
https://www.routledge.com/Constructive-News-Across-Languages-and-Cultures/Riggs-Davier/p/book/9781032849058?srsltid=AfmBOoonvJjJkgamIQsQsfWj-aAl21GLE8VANPlLbYNr_YUot9nGm_J2
Ayça Atabey, Kim R. Sylwander and Sonia Livingstone
Read full report here
Read the press release
This report advances the DFC’s and 5Rights’ research on A better Edtech future for children and builds on our earlier DFC research on EdTech and education data.
“Across all GenAI tools we studied, children’s perspectives were largely excluded from their design, governance and evaluation and all tools undermine children's rights to privacy and protection from commercial exploitation.” (Ayça Atabey)
Executive summary
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are increasingly embedded in digital services and products that are used for and in education (EdTech), raising urgent questions about their impact on children’s learning and rights. We take a holistic child rights approach to children’s learning to evaluate five GenAI tools used in education – Character.AI, Grammarly, MagicSchool AI, Microsoft Copilot and Mind’s Eye.
Using mixed sociolegal methods, including product walkthroughs, policy analysis and consultations with children, educators and experts around the world, we evaluate how these digital tools operate, and we assess the claims they make. These assessments are conducted in the light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General comment No. 25 regarding the digital environment.
Our primary focus is on how these tools uphold key rights under the UNCRC, including children’s rights to education (Article 28), privacy (Article 16), to be heard and have their views respected (Article 12), non-discrimination (Article 2), the principle of the best interests of the child (Article 3.1), the right to appropriate support for children with disabilities (Article 23), access to information (Article 17) and freedom of expression (Article 13).
While each GenAI tool offers the potential to facilitate learning through, for example, supporting creativity, communication and accessibility, each also presents notable risks. These risks arise because of opaque data practices, poor transparency, commercial exploitation through nudges, advertising and tracking, including from age-inappropriate adult website advertisers, all of which are incompatible with children’s best interests. Overall, many claimed benefits remain unverified, and the increasing presence of GenAI and its increasingly ‘by default’ integration reflects institutional or market priorities more than children’s needs and interests.
Across the five tools studied, children’s perspectives were largely excluded from their design, governance and evaluation. The case studies reveal that these tools undermine children’s rights to privacy and protection from commercial exploitation. The tools may support rights such as education, play, expression and access to information, potentially enhancing children’s learning. However, there is limited evidence for these benefits, especially a lack of evidence from diverse groups of children, younger children and those with disabilities.
Key findings from the case studies:
We conclude that GenAI can only enhance education if children’s rights are placed at the centre of its design, deployment and governance. A holistic, child rights-based approach should guide decisions about GenAI use in education, ensuring that children’s best interests, participation and full range of rights are prioritised, with particular emphasis on their right to education. The potential benefits of GenAI in EdTech can only be fully achieved when learning is recognised not as an isolated outcome, but as a process supported by interconnected rights. This means mandatory child rights and data protection impact assessments, accessible safeguards, and meaningful participation of children in decision-making. Without these, children’s right to education can be undermined, and GenAI risks deepening inequalities and exploiting children, rather than supporting their learning.
“The pandemic saw a rapid digitalisation of education, but in the five years since no one has stopped to think if this is benefiting children. This is having serious consequences: children are being tracked by erotic websites and chatbots are providing wrong emergency helplines risking lives and creating dependencies that can damage mental health. As the Government presses ahead with spreading AI far and wide, we must have rules in place to protect children and their education. In the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, parliament has a chance to ensure this happens.” (Colette Collins-Walsh, Head of UK Affairs at 5Rights Foundation)
October 29, 2025
Södertörn University (Stockholm, Sweden)
As part of the upcoming ECREA ARS 2025 mid-term conference, the pre-conference workshop "ChatGPT and Beyond: AI Literacy for Early-Career Scholars" will take place at Södertörn University (Stockholm, Sweden) on the 29th October 2025 from 14:00-17.00 (CET).
This in-person workshop is free and open to all interested participants. Designed for a small group of 15-20 PhD students and early-career scholars from diverse backgrounds, it will offer a space to explore and discuss ethical, professional, and societal dimensions of AI in academia, including concerns and opportunities arising from generative AI technologies.
To register for the workshop follow this link: https://forms.gle/919RHmvypjX3wS1d6
For further information, contact Nivedita Chatterjee (n.chatterjee@surrey.ac.uk) Paulo Couraceiro (paulo.couraceiro@obercom.pt) or Jan Weis (jan.weis@sh.se) via email.
This workshop is supported by the EDI Grant awarded to the ECREA ARS Section. Please note that participation in the workshop does not require registration for the main conference.
October 30 – 31, 2025
Faculty of journalism and mass communication, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
Deadline (extended): September 30, 2025
THE FACULTY OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION organizes a 6th International Scientific Conference that will be held on the 30th and 31st of October 2025 within the framework of the St. Kliment Ohridski Days on the video conference platform Teams.
The theme is: The Changing Media: Professional. Regulatory and Ethical Challenges Facing Media and Communications in a Digital Environment
We most politely invite the specialists in media and communications, as well as those who are involved with the problems of the media and communication environment and culture in their various dimensions and manifestations. We welcome the interdisciplinary approach to the contemporary challenges in the education and practice of journalism and to the communication activities as a whole.
See details following the link https://commed21.com/
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU), Germany, has the following open positions:
11 Doctoral Researchers in the Research Training Group: “The Experience of Stories in the Digital Age (TESDA)” (100% TV-L salary)
The positions will begin on April 1, 2026, and end on September 30, 2029. Each position is full-time. Remuneration will be based on the collective agreement for the public service of the German federal states (Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst der Länder, TV-L).
Disciplines Involved: Communication Science, Psychology, Computer Science
The Research Training Group (RTG)
Humans spend a large part of life engaging with stories. Research from recent decades shows that stories have a strong influence on recipients, and scholars have identified experiential states that are characteristic of story engagement (e.g., narrative transportation, presence). Digital technologies and new media landscapes (e.g., artificial intelligence, virtual reality, social media, social robots) have introduced new challenges and opportunities to the field.
The aim of the RTG is to provide an interdisciplinary, collaborative research environment that enables doctoral researchers to conduct both disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies on stories in the digital realm. The challenges and opportunities of experiencing stories in the digital age will be explored across three main project areas:
1. Immersive virtual reality
2. New (para-)social encounters
3. Epistemic challenges
These three areas comprise a total of seven research projects. Two of the research projects focus on children.
Detailed information on the project areas and individual projects is available at https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/grk3087/.
Your responsibilities
• Complete a doctoral thesis in your discipline within 3.5 years
• Actively participate in the joint activities of the RTG
• Contribute to the self-administration and self-organization of the RTG
Your qualifications
• Strong interest in pursuing an academic career
• An above-average master’s degree or equivalent in one of the relevant disciplines (exceptional candidates with a bachelor’s degree may be considered)
• Excellent command of English (all RTG activities will be conducted in English)
• Experience in empirical social science research; specific technical computer science/HCI skills for some positions
Application procedure
Your application should include:
a) A cover letter outlining your motivation to apply
b) A CV
c) A brief statement (maximum 2 pages) specifying which of the seven projects you are applying for and explaining your choice
d) Your BSc/MSc thesis and/or other scientific work
You may apply for one or more projects. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preferential consideration when equally qualified. Please send your application and supporting documents, preferably by email, to jmu-grk.tesda@uni-wuerzburg.de. Review of applications begins on October 20, 2025, and will continue until the positions are filled.
Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences
We are seeking two post-doctoral researchers to conduct ethnographic studies of game production for the ERC grant GAMEINDEX: Politics and aesthetics of indexical representation in digital games and VR. The project is headed by Dr. Jaroslav Švelch and located at Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, within the Prague Game Production Studies research group. The starting date is in 2026 and the duration of the position is 2 years, with the possibility of extension to 3 years.
The deadline for applications is 30 September 2025.
Project focus:
GAMEINDEX focuses on indexical representation in games – both as traces of real-life objects or people in the simulated worlds of digital games and VR, and as references to physical locations. Besides games themselves, we are interested in analyzing indexical techniques such as motion capture, 3D scanning, voiceover recording, and others. The post-doctoral researchers will primarily contribute to the work package that analyzes the use of indexical techniques within the production practices of video games and/or VR, and explores the transformation of real-life objects and people into in-game assets. The GAMEINDEX project presupposes that material will be collected in game/VR production studios using ethnographic methods (studio ethnographies, participants observation, interviews). Within the scope of the GAMEINDEX project, described here, the applicant is free to come up with their own research project with more specific research questions.
Required qualifications:
Recommended qualifications:
Required materials:
Practical arrangements:
The incoming applications will be screened by the GAMEINDEX team and suitable candidates will be invited for an online or in-person interview. Successful applicants are expected to relocate to Prague and are eligible for a relocation fee from the project budget.
Successful applicants will become full-time employees of Charles University, with benefits and a competitive salary commensurable with experience (details provided upon request).
Once employed, the researcher can be granted funding from GAMEINDEX to cover costs of fieldwork and conference travel.
Submissions:
Applicants may submit their applications by September 30, 2025, via e-mail to:
kariera@fsv.cuni.cz, with the subject: “Postdoc ERC GAMEINDEX”. Applicants may approach the PI Jaroslav Švelch at jaroslav.svelch@fsv.cuni.cz to ask questions about GAMEINDEX and the postdoc positions.
By responding to this advertisement, you consent to the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, located at Smetanovo nábřeží 6, Prague 1, Postal Code 110 01, processing your personal data for the purposes of the selection procedure. The processing of personal data is carried out in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Act No. 110/2019 Coll., on the Processing of Personal Data.
IAMCR
Lead a global network advancing media and communication research. IAMCR, with 3,500+ members in 85 countries, seeks a full-time, remote Executive Director to run a small virtual secretariat, support specialised thematic groups, drive membership growth and funding, and help shape our flagship annual conference. The role suits a highly organised, self-directed leader experienced with professional/academic associations; fundraising skills are an asset. Limited travel (2 trips/year). English required; French/Spanish/Mandarin an asset. Start as early as January 2026. Salary commensurate with experience.
Apply by 17 October 2025 with: CV, cover letter, references (with contact details), and a brief vision statement. Interviews in November.
Full announcement & how to apply: https://iamcr.org/vacancy-ed
November 22, 2025
Online
Deadline: September 30, 2025
Dear colleagues,
From algorithmic cultures to participatory trends, from narrative futures to inclusive innovation – RE: TREND – Culture in Motion is calling for your contribution.
We want to invite you to submit a communication proposal to the III Trends and Culture Management Colloquium, hosted by ICNOVA/iNOVA Media Lab in collaboration with CEAUL/Trends and Culture Management Lab.
This edition focuses on digital transformations and cultural practices in motion, encouraging critical and creative reflection on the signals of change shaping today’s culture. We particularly welcome submissions from students and early-career researchers. Participation is free of charge.
We invite abstracts (250–300 words) for 10-minute online presentations in Portuguese or English, addressing one or more of the following themes (but not limited to):
• Living Intelligence & Algorithmic Cultures
• Culture in Beta: Labs, Prototypes and Experiments
• Trendspotting, Semiotics and Brand Strategies
• Narrative Futures and Sociocultural Anticipation
• Datafied Culture and Inclusive Innovation
• Fandoms, Microcultures and Participatory Trends
• AI and Trend Research
• Communication, New Media and Trends
Date: Saturday, 22 November 2025
Format: Online
Keynote speaker to be announced soon
Submit your abstract: https://bit.ly/trendscolloquium
Deadline for submissions: 30 September 2025
We look forward to your contribution.
For more details, please visit: https://trendsandculture.fcsh.unl.pt
Best regards,
Ana Marta M. Flores & Organising Committee
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