III. International Communication Studies Congress
Contemporary Approaches to Communication
Organised by İletisim Studies and Istanbul Gelişim University
16–18 December 2026
Istanbul Gelişim University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Call for Papers
Communication is undergoing one of the fastest transformations in its history. Artificial intelligence now reaches every stage of how content is produced, circulated and interpreted. Algorithmic systems now decide what becomes visible. People increasingly reach information, entertainment and one another through platforms, content creators and chatbots. At the same time, the climate crisis, geopolitical conflict, democratic backsliding and deepening inequalities are raising new questions about the place of communication in social life. This transformation is not confined to any single area of the
field. It is changing news and advertising, corporate communication and cinema, science communication and popular culture, audiences and producers, all at once.
These changes ask more of the field than new topics. They ask it to rethink its own concepts and methods. What can theories built on the assumption that both sender and receiver are human tell us when an artificial agent sits on one side of the conversation? When exposure has become algorithmic
and incidental, do core concepts such as “audience”, “public” and “message” still mean what they used to? How should communication research be done when access to data is shrinking and research tools themselves rely on AI? And how can the field tell passing trends from lasting shifts?
The congress centres this debate on two questions: Where does communication stand today? Where is it heading? It seeks answers through current empirical work from every subfield of communication, and
gives equal room to theoretical and methodological contributions on the future of the field. We believe that looking at this debate from Türkiye can also bring to light questions and experiences that often go unseen at the centre of the field.
We invite theoretical, empirical and methodological papers on the following and related topics:
– Artificial Intelligence and Communication: generative AI, chatbots as communication partners,
synthetic media, the impact of AI on content production and on the communication professions
– Algorithmic Media and Platforms: visibility, recommender systems, platform governance and
regulation, the platform economy
– Journalism: trust in news, news avoidance, news content creators, verification and open-source
investigation, journalistic labour and safety, local and alternative media
– Cinema, Television and Visual Culture: platformisation, streaming culture, AI-assisted production,
narrative and aesthetics, visual communication design. – Political Communication: disinformation, polarisation, election campaigns, populism, the digital public sphere, political participation
– Public Relations and Corporate Communication: crisis communication, reputation and trust, data-driven communication, the ethics of corporate communication in the age of AI
– Advertising and Brand Communication: AI-generated advertising, the future of creativity, influencer marketing, sustainability and consumer culture
– Digitalisation: digital games, virtual and augmented reality, digital art
– Audience and Reception Studies: the changing concept of the audience, attention, emotion, participation, the datafication of digital life
– Popular Culture, Cultural Studies and Identity: representation, gender, youth cultures, digital cultures
– Climate, Environmental, Health and Science Communication: trust, engagement, communication in times of crisis, the public representation of science
– Media and Communication Literacy: literacy in the age of algorithms, AI and influencers, education and communication
– Digital Inequalities, Access and Social Justice: digital exclusion, algorithmic discrimination, cultural citizenship
– Media Policy, Law and Political Economy: regulation, media freedom and pluralism, relations between platforms and publishers
– Communication Theory, History and Methods: rethinking core concepts, the validity and ethics of computational and AI-assisted methods, mixed methods, research infrastructures
These areas are not exhaustive. Any contribution that discusses the present and future of communication will be considered.
We invite you to a congress organised with environmental responsibility and climate awareness at its heart. Now in its third edition, the congress aims not only to share knowledge but also to protect natural resources and keep its environmental impact to a minimum. One of the measures we are taking
is to eliminate paper waste completely, so all presentations and materials will be shared digitally.
Priority will also be given to renewable energy sources at the venue. We kindly ask participants to support these efforts in the following ways:
– Please bring a reusable water bottle and cup to help us reduce plastic use during the congress.
– Please use the digital programme and book of abstracts, which will be sent to participants by email and made available on the website.
– We encourage you to use public transport to reduce your carbon footprint.
– Please use the separate recycling bins, as a zero-waste policy will apply at the venue.
We look forward to welcoming you to the III. International Communication Studies Congress (ICSC26), a congress that values environmental responsibility as much as scholarly excellence.
*Participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation.
Host: Istanbul Gelişim University
Organiser: İletisim Studies
Supporting Institutions: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Communication
Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Faculty of Communication
International Academic Partner: High Point University
Publication Partners: JCMCS
MDPI Journalism and Media
Technical Partner: Daum Expert
