Assistant Professor of Computational Social and Communication Science, University of Zurich<\/h3>\n
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Understanding contemporary media systems requires rethinking the \u201croots\u201d of power associated with information and knowledge production. For much of the twentieth century, truth and knowledge in public communication were anchored in institutional infrastructures such as journalism, science, and public media. Today, however, these epistemic foundations are increasingly mediated by global digital platforms and AI systems. People receive news updates while scrolling through TikTok feeds, and we ask conversational AI for all sorts of information. In this talk, the speaker draws on her cross-culture research on misinformation, platforms, and AI to examine how contemporary digital infrastructures reshape regimes of truth. The talk also reflects on the speaker\u2019s ongoing methodological work with large language models (LLMs) and problematizes how these tools are transforming the practices of scientific knowledge production.<\/p>\n
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Bio:<\/strong> Jing Zeng works as an Assistant Professor in department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich. Zeng’s research is exceptionally international in scope and focuses in particular on the sociocultural contexts of digital technologies. Zeng also specializes in the development of new research methods as well as in issues of intercultural and visual communication. In addition, Zeng has conducted extensive research on disinformation, digital publics, and climate activism. Zeng has an upcoming book (Alt Platforms<\/em>, Polity Press) as well as several forthcoming publications on artificial intelligence and the data economy.<\/p>\n Profile:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.ikmz.uzh.ch\/en\/research\/divisions\/computational-social-and-communication-science\/team\/jing-zeng.html<\/a><\/p>\n This presentation examines the significance of roots in the world of international media studies. It [Keynote in Finnish.]<\/p>\n Bio:<\/strong> Tanja Aitamurto works as an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois Chicago, serving as the director and the founder of the Media\/Democracy Lab. Aitamurto’s research focuses on how people use media for connection, self-expression, and political participation. Aitamurto examines how communication practices shape understanding, empathy, and inclusion in society, as well as how media can empower individuals and communities to participate more actively in civic life and influence the collective structures of democracy. Her current projects include examining the roles of artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) in shaping communication practices.<\/p>\n Profile:<\/strong> https:\/\/comm.uic.edu\/profiles\/aitamurto-tanja\/<\/a><\/p>\n
\nTANJA AITAMURTO: Wings and Roots \u2013 Locality, Mobility and Identity in International Media Studies<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Associate Professor, University of Illinois, Chicago<\/h3>\n
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reflects on how researchers’ cultural, linguistic and institutional backgrounds shape research questions, perspectives and knowledge production practices in the global academic field. The presentation also addresses the tension between mobility and locality, as well as the significance of global scholarly communities and local experiences for the conduct of research and the researcher’s identity.<\/p>\n