Professor Haider Ahmed Al-Qutbi, Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs at the College of Mass Communication, said the college’s 7th International Scientific Conference and 19th Annual Conference, titled “Media and Shifts in Discourse Amid Contemporary Digital Transformations,” seeks to analyze the impact of algorithms and artificial intelligence on content production and direction, while advancing research methodologies and addressing the professional and ethical challenges posed by the digital environment.
Al-Qutbi said the conference focuses on examining shifts in media discourse through a scientific approach that combines theoretical and practical perspectives, while emphasizing the development of research tools and methodologies needed to understand the nature, mechanisms, and impact of digital media.
He explained that digital transformations have changed not only the means of producing and disseminating media messages, but also the structure of discourse, the ways it is formulated and framed, and how it reaches audiences. These changes, he noted, call for new research questions and methodological approaches to studying contemporary media phenomena.
The conference themes include the role of algorithms and artificial intelligence in producing and directing media discourse, the dynamics of interaction between the media and audiences, media framing and mechanisms of influence, as well as challenges associated with disinformation, algorithmic bias, and filter bubbles.
The Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs added that the conference also aims to support research in digital media, enhance practitioners’ ability to produce high-quality professional content, and explore strategies that media institutions can adopt to adapt to ongoing technological change.
He further noted that bringing researchers, academics, and media practitioners together in a shared academic forum would facilitate the exchange of experiences, discussion of research findings, and development of perspectives that help bridge the gap between academic studies and the practical demands of media work, while strengthening scientific and professional cooperation in digital media research.
The conference aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4: Quality Education and Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, by supporting scientific research in digital media, keeping pace with technological advances, and developing media skills to strengthen professional and academic practices amid contemporary digital transformations.
