UMN 2021 Holds International Conference on Digital Communication in pandemic era

Computerize, Johnny G. Plate at COMNEWS UMN 2021 (dock. COMNEWS UMN 2021)

TANGERANG – Faculty of Communication Sciences, Multimedia Nusantara University (FIKOM UMN) held an international conference COMNEWS (Conference on Communication and New Media Studies) on Tuesday (05/10/21). This year, COMNEWS 2021 raised the main theme “Digital Communication in an Era of Uncertainty” to share digital communication knowledge in this pandemic period.

The international conference held online invited a number of competent speakers in the field of communication. One of them, also present the Minister of Communication and Informatics of the Republic of Indonesia, Johnny G. Plate as the main speaker. He said the Covid-19 pandemic has driven a global increase in the use of digital technology. He said this trend also affects communication activities that adapt to all digital. Therefore, Johnny mentioned the need for special regulations on the right of the public to provide protection against the use of digital media.

“These challenges need to be addressed immediately as the digital communications sector continues to struggle in this era of uncertainty,” Johnny said.

Speaker at COMNEWS UMN 2021 (dock. COMNEWS UMN 2021)

In addition to Johnny, there are also four other speakers who discuss various digital communication issues in this uncertain era. First, there is Dr. Ronny Adhikarya as Manager of The World Bank (1996-2003) and FAO Representative (2003-2005). On this occasion, Ronny explained about “Reform and Opportunities: Has Covid-19 Tsunami Created Innovations and Disruptions in Communication and Education?”. There are three main points described by Ronny in this title, including the transformation from the era of Industry 4.0 to Super-Smart Society 5.0, hoaxes and hate speech, as well as the dangers of infobesity and internet addiction disorder to mental health.

“Therefore, our society should not only get the Covid-19 vaccine to ward off infodemic. The community should also be given communication immunization and trust immunization, “said Ronny.

Then, the next speaker is Prof. Arminda V. Santiago as Dean of the College of Mass Communication University of the Philippines. Through this international conference, Arminda shared her research on “Emerging Trends in Media and Digital Cinema in Southeast Asia”. Regarding this theme, Arminda explained the media revolution and cinema trends that emerged in the era of digitalization, especially in the Southeast Asia region. For example, in the mass media, he explained that the arena is no longer in the realm of analog content creation. However, mass media has moved into the realm of technology, especially digital content.

Also read Answering Communication Challenges in Pandemic Times, FIKOM UMN Holds International Conference “COMNEWS” Next October

Arminda said it also has the same impact on culture in the film industry. He also mentioned some trends as the impact of digitalization in the film industry, such as the use of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), the emergence of various low-budget films on online platforms, the increasing diversity of social issues that are worked into the form of films, and so on.

Furthermore, there is also Dr. Ross Tapsell as a Lecturer of the Australian National University who is a speaker at COMNEWS 2021. On this occasion, Ross shared his knowledge of “Indonesia: Media, History, and Change”. Here, he asks the public to reflect on a phrase from renowned scholar Marshall McLuhan: the media is his message. Through that phrase, Ross emphasized that the world is currently being reshaped through new media technology. At the end of his session, he again invited the public to reflect on the statement, “If the media is digital, what message will be created?”

Meanwhile, there is also Tri Agung Kristanto as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Kompas who discussed “Disruption isn’t a Media Killer”. Here, he asserts that digital disruption does not turn off mass media. According to him, the media fell because of a failure to respond to change and management.

COMNEWS UMN 2021 (doc. COMNEWS UMN 2021)

Quoted from the press release, COMNEWS is a conference held every two years by FIKOM UMN since 2016. Through the theme “Digital Communication in an Era of Uncertainty”, COMNEWS 2021 has entered its implementation for the third time. The international conference supported by Kompas Daily, Kompas.id, Bank BTPN, Wijaya Karya, ASPIKOM, APJIKI, and ISKI is held online and can be attended by students, academics and practitioners in the field of communication.

By Melinda Chang | UMN News Service

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan | International Program, di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id