Research

60th Anniversary Postgraduate Students Conference

BeCOMM & Beyond: Boundaries and Imagination of Next-Generation Communication

Call for Papers

Overview

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the School of Journalism and Communication at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, we are organizing a postgraduate student conference themed “BeCOMM & Beyond: Boundaries and Imagination of Next Generation Communication.” By bringing together master’s and doctoral research students within the Greater China region, we invite participants to explore future avenues in communication research, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for its development.

Conference Details

The conference will be held from July 10 to July 11, 2025, at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The School will cover three nights of accommodation at the University Guest House for the first author of each accepted article. Please note that transportation costs will be the responsibility of the conference participants.

Conference Theme

The convergence of immersive technologies and the creation of digital entities offer a range of new avenues for communication research, along with challenges and opportunities to revolutionize practical modes of communication. This conference focuses on broadening and reimagining the boundaries of communication research areas to respond to and analyze the far-reaching consequences that emerging technological innovations and global transformations will have.

The conference will also highlight the essential attributes needed for communication researchers to navigate rapid and significant changes. These attributes include interdisciplinary knowledge, innovative thinking, and a commitment to social responsibility. Additionally, we will expand the discussion on how advanced media technologies, such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, could impact communication studies and society as a whole. Through this call, we encourage forward-thinking approaches to the future development of communication and media, envisioning research talents who are eligible and ready for unprecedented changes.

In this spirit, we invite submissions for papers that address the conference theme from various perspectives. We welcome empirical evidence-based research utilizing surveys, interviews, ethnography, and big data analysis, as well as theoretical research grounded in abstract concepts, logical reasoning, and critical reflections. Submissions may address (but are not limited to) the following issues and topics:

• Artificial intelligence and AI-generated content
• Future journalism and industry
• Social media evolution and digital culture
• Media production and industry in the context of new technologies
• International and cross-cultural communication from the perspective of geopolitical changes
• Ethical issues in communication and communication research
• Virtual reality and augmented reality
• Data-driven communication
• Environmental and science communication
• Digital and smart media literacy
• Other topics related to the conference theme

Submission and Deadline

We welcome submissions in both Chinese and English (presentations will be in Mandarin).

Chinese submissions: Follow the format of Communication and Society. The manuscript should not exceed 18,000 words (including the title page, abstract, keywords, and references).

English submissions: Follow the APA style. The manuscript should not exceed 8,000 words (including the title page, abstract, keywords, and references).

Please submit your full papers via this link: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13703987, by the deadline of April 30, 2025.

Conference Committee

Prof. Clement So (Convener)
Prof. Hsuan-ting Chen
Prof. Donna Chu
Prof. Francis Lee
Prof. Hai Liang
Prof. Jian Lin
Prof. Tian Yang

Secretaries

Dr. Frances Yang
Email: francesyang@cuhk.edu.hk

Dr. Daisy Cheng
Email: daisycheng@cuhk.edu.hk