The 2020 ICA (the International Communication Association)-affiliated New Media International Conference, organized by the School of Media & Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), will be held in Shanghai, China, on October 24, 2020. The theme of the conference will focus on “Intelligent Communication and Social Concerns”. Special guests will feature ICA President Claes De Vreese, former ICA President Terry Flew, Ang Peng Hwa, and Patrice Buzzanell. Scholars are invited to submit papers related to the role, impacts and social influences of intelligent communication technology under COVID-19 pandemic.

     Prof. Claes De Vreese                                   Prof. Terry Flew                                        Prof. Ang Peng Hwa                    Prof. Patrice Buzzanell

I. Conference Background

Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world and become a major event affecting the destiny of all mankind. In the fight against this unprecedented pandemic, intelligent communication technology has played a pivotal role. It can be seen everywhere: from cloud conferences and cloud classrooms to Health Code and Shanghai QR Code on your mobile phone. Although these technologies have different functions and evaluations in various social and cultural contexts, there is no doubt that intelligent communication technology not only helps people who are isolated at home during the epidemic, but also becomes an important technical drive for epidemic prevention and control. In turn, the sudden outbreak of the epidemic has also accelerated the application and development of intelligent communication technology. In the post-epidemic era, intelligent communication and network technologies will surely become the fundamental technologies for the survival and development of mankind.

Accompanying this pandemic are some major changes in the world. Our community with a shared future for mankind, which should be joining hands together in the fight against the sudden global pandemic, is now facing challenges brought about by conflict talks between East and West, racism, economic recession, and anti-globalization. On the one hand, these challenges confirm that intelligent communication technologies represented by 5G, smartphones, cloud computing, cloud storage, big data, and artificial intelligence play an increasingly important role in international conflicts and cooperation; on the other hand, they also remind us that intelligent communication, if separated from its social and global concerns, may also become a tool used by narrow-minded politicians, local protectionism, and racism.

Nevertheless, for most countries and societies, the development of intelligent communication technology still brings benefits. Big data, 5G, image recognition and other intelligent communication technologies have enabled governments to grasp and share epidemic development and dissemination information more quickly, so as to make timely and effective responses; the efficient matching between massive information supply and individual information needs has enabled the public to judge the risks around them quickly and accurately to protect themselves; cloud video, cloud storage, and virtual interaction technologies make online courses and conferences closer to real interactive scenes; algorithm recommendations, cloud games, VR, and AR technology make life at home less boring and isolated; mankind’s imaginations for future intelligent communication technologies and new media are becoming reality more quickly because of the epidemic. Therefore, questions have been raised both to the communication academia and industry as well about how to interpret the development of intelligent communication technology and its social significance under the acceleration of the epidemic, and how to respond to the future of communication science and even social science research under the new background.

The annual ICA-affiliated New Media International Conference at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has been a preeminent venue for presenting and discussing cutting-edge academic and industry research in media technology. This year, the School of Media & Communication at SJTU will join the ICA for the 8th time in inviting outstanding scholars and entrepreneurs to address topics related to opportunities and challenges for journalism, communication and other areas under the global pandemic.

2019 ICA-affiliated New Media International Conference in SJTU

Former ICA President Terry Flew

Prof. Jeffrey Hancock from Stanford University

II. Conference Theme

Intelligent Communication and Social Concerns

There will be several panel sessions covering the conference theme, including Technology and New Applications of Intelligent Communication under COVID-19 pandemic, Media Performance and Communication Effects under COVID-19 pandemic, Intelligent Communication and Social Life, Health and Medical Communication, Pandemic and Global Communication and Human Destiny, Post-epidemic Artificial intelligence and Industrial Transformation, Post-epidemic Journalism and Communication Education, Journal Editors Panel, Deans Panel, and Students Panel.

III. Conference Agenda and Schedule

1.    Important Dates

Submission: August 31, 2020-October 2, 2020

Notification of Acceptance and Invitation Letters: Starting from October 10, 2020

Conference Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020

2.  Conference Agenda

Morning, October 24, 2020: Opening ceremony and keynote speeches

Afternoon, October 24, 2020: Panel sessions and declaration for outstanding papers

IV. Invited Guests (Planned)

Claes De Vreese, ICA President

Terry Flew, former ICA President

Ang Peng Hwa, former ICA President

Patrice Buzzanel, former ICA President

Jeff Hancock, Professor from Socia Media Lab of Stanford University

Mary Beth Oliver, Professor of Pennsylvania State University

Joe Walther, Professor of University of California, Santa Barbara

S.Shyam Sundar, former Editor of Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Carolyn A. Lin, Editor of Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media

V. Submission Format and Guidelines

1. Only online submissions are accepted. Papers can be written in either Chinese or English.

2. Email address for submissions: ica_shanghai@163.com

3. Paper format and length: APA format (6th edition) for papers written in English; APA format (6th edition) or GB7714-87 format for papers written in Chinese. Files are to be submitted in Microsoft Word for Windows or Mac. Maximum length should not exceed 8,000 words (including tables/figures and references).

4. Some content of the accepted papers (title and abstract) might appear on the conference website, in printed conference materials, or on other online media. Accepted papers will be included in Conference Proceedings and distributed to the attendees. Authors of accepted papers can still publish their papers in other journals.

5. Submission Period: August 31 to October 2, 2020 (for submitters within and outside of Mainland China)

VI. Conference Registration

Register for the conference by sending an email to ica_shanghai@163.com. Official invitation letters will be sent to submitters whose papers are accepted. There is no registration fee for those who receive an official invitation letter. Travel, accommodation, and insurance expenses are borne by participants themselves.

VII. Conference Secretariat

Address: School of Media & Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University,

No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China

Contact person: Ms Lutong Zhang

Email: zhanglutong@sjtu.edu.cn

Phone: +86-21-34208622