On May 24, 2023，International Communication Association（ICA）preconference“Digital Communication in Global China: Creativity, Authenticity, and Sustainability”was held in Toronto, Canada. This preconference was sponsored by the College of Media and International Culture (CMIC), Zhejiang University, ICA Popular Media and Culture Division, and the English journal Communication and the Public. Domestic and international communication scholars held in-depth discussions on topics including but not limited to social media, digital journalism, digital governance, and media convergence. The preconference was moderated by Associate Dean Yu Hong from the CMIC.
In the opening speech, Lu Wei, Dean of the CMIC at Zhejiang University, welcomed all participants. He pointed out that the CMIC has a long history, and its major of journalism was established in 1958, which is one of the earliest in China. The College has nurtured a large number of outstanding graduates who have played a crucial role in both the industry and academia. At the same time, the College has steadily grown in recent years and earned its international reputation, ranking among the top three in mainland China according to the USNews rankings and among the Top 100 globally in the latest QS subject rankings. Communication and the Public, the English quarterly journal found by the CMIC in 2016, has made a name for itself in the international academic community and provided an important platform for intellectual exchange in communication, especially from a Chinese perspective. Prof. Lu Wei stated that global digital communication has become an important topic of research in communication today, and he hopes that scholars will engage in constructive discussions on these topics.
After the opening speech, Prof. Yi-Hui Christine Huang from the City University of Hong Kong and Prof. Junhao Hong from the State University of New York at Buffalo delivered keynote speeches respectively. Prof. Huang introduced four approaches to culture-based communication, which are culture-general approach, culture-specific approach, comparative approach, and intercultural approach. Prof. Huang talked about the strengths and weaknesses of these major research orientations, and discussed in depth whether communication scholars should adopt a theory-centered international approach or a culturally-centered localized approach.
Prof. Junhao Hong shared his research in the field of global information communication technology, noting that information technology has made a profound double-sided impact on the world. While communication technologies benefit human activities, they also lead to unprecedented problems (e.g., information pollution) on the globe. The academic community needs to seek collective efforts to work on solutions by improving national policies, laws and regulations, technology and education.
After the keynote speeches, the conference moved to panel presentations on Chinese Platforms, Social Media and User Practices , Digital Connectivity and Media Use , Journalism and Online Culture , Venturing China’s Globalized Internet , Digital Governance and New Technologies and Communication Effects . Associate Professor Fen Lin of City University of Hong Kong, Professor Yu Hong, Professor Yu Zhao, and Assistant Professor Siyue Li of the CMIC moderated the panels. Scholars from over ten renowned universities and research institutes in the US, Canada, UK, and China reported their research on global digital communication, and had enlightening discussions with the participants.
After the panel presentations, Prof. Yi-Hui Christine Huang, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Communication and the Public, introduced the recent development of the journal, stating that the journal has maintained momentum in recent years, with a steady increase in the quantity and quality of submissions and a growing international influence. Professor Yu Hong, Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal, and Associate Editors Prof. Fen Hong and Prof. Zhao Alexandre Huang, introduced two upcoming special issues: The Information Warfare in the era of Social Media: the Case of the Russian-Ukrainian Crisis and The Platformation and Transformation of the Digital Public Sphere. They welcomed contributions from scholars over the world.
At the end of the conference, Prof. Zhao Alexandre Huang of Université Paris Nanterre hosted an award ceremony to honor three distinguished scholars who have made unique contributions to the journal Communication and the Public – Prof. Pan Zhongdang from the University of Wisconsin, Prof. Yang Guobin from the University of Pennsylvania, and Prof. Daniel Raichvarg from the University of Burgundy. The three professors virtually shared their experiences with the journal and offered their best wishes for the journal. Dean Lu Wei then presented the awards to the representatives of the award winners.
