Change, adaptation and culture: Media communication in pandemic times

Abstract

Commentary: Global lockdowns and border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that educational institutions and international conferences have taken on a virtual existence for more than two years. Uncertainties surrounding the pandemic and the enormity of its impact became a focal point of academic scrutiny for communication sciences and media research. Themes from the Asian Congress for Media and Communication Conference 2021 (ACMC2021) centred around change, adaptation and culture in pandemic times with 12 streams including democracy and disinformation, media influence and impact, and climate change in the Asia-Pacific. This commentary presents an overview of the conference and introduces four of the presentations delivered at the ACMC2021; two keynotes and two paper presentations. The keynotes discussed information challenges such as control on social media, truth, hate rhetoric and the climate emergency in the Asia-Pacific region, while the papers focused on practitioner perceptions and the role of a higher order in securing media freedom and fair representation.