Studies of reaction media within global networked culture have emphasized the political economy and hegemonic meanings of reaction videos and particularly considered the role of the close-up as creating the meaning of the “reaction.” This article alternatively examines Uncle Roger’s reaction media through a medium-specific and cross-platform perspective, considering both textual and audiovisual image-based reactions, to explore the nuances of reaction media as a meta mode of engagement. Drawing on a case study approach, online observation, and qualitative textual analysis, this research investigates Uncle Roger’s reaction videos and reactions to his content across YouTube, TikTok, Douyin, and Bilibili. By conceptualizing reaction media as a cross-platform practice, we suggest the need for an expanded and more dynamic definition of what constitutes reaction media. We seek to explore reaction media as globalizing social media entertainment that is not only defined by authenticity and community but also by reactivity. This article attempts to interrogate current literature on reaction media built on YouTube reaction videos and contributes to the studies in platformized cultural production and social media entertainment.

This research endeavours to examine the discursive construction of blackness and whiteness by protestors spanning from Minneapolis to the entirety of America following the murder of Floyd. The data, which were analysed using the framework of van Dijk’s critical discourse analysis approach, consisted of 140 slogans collected from photos found on CNN, BBC, AP News, CBS News and Shutterstock websites. The analysis uncovered several recurring discursive strategies utilised to construct the notions of vulnerable blackness and privileged whiteness, including polarisation, concretisation, norm and value violation, victimisation, negative lexicalisation, generalisation, compassion move, self-identity descriptions, negative comparison, resource description and hyperbole. The findings revolve around ‘Othering’, which emphasises positive self-perceptions and negative perceptions of others while shedding insight into the power dynamics between White and Black people. This study offers unique perspectives on whiteness and blackness within the wider social context of the United States by addressing systemic racial inequality and societal change.

In this dialogue, Professor Terry Flew first explains the real-world changes and theoretical underpinnings that have prompted his Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellowship to study media and public trust. Based on the concept of mediated trust, he reveals the relationship between trust, power and communication technologies. Professor Flew then elaborates on how artificial intelligence (AI) affects trust in human–machine and interpersonal relationships, and how governments and technology companies shape public trust in AI in a complex geopolitical environment. Finally, Flew explores ways to foster public trust and encourages communication research to actively embrace changes in technology and society.

The emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence has to be seen as a paradigmatic shift that moves digital information systems from Search to Prediction. This article establishes how the Googlization of the world led to the naturalization of search-based information systems as our default modes of digital narration, offering ‘Revelation’ as the primary author function of digital systems that opens up the practice of ‘interpretation’ as central to digital epistemology. In looking at the models of Generative Artificial Intelligence, with a specific focus on ChatGPT, I argue that the new author function that is being normalized by Generative Artificial Intelligence systems is one of ‘concealment’. I illustrate the new forms of Generative Artificial Intelligence concealments by looking at the most prevalent anxieties that have accompanied these applications and unpack what authorship of concealment looks like in these emerging technology networks. It thus positions the narratives of rogue, hallucinating or fabricating Generative Artificial Intelligence as actively shaping new forms of digital authorship, which cannot be addressed merely by the current trend of asking for a slowing down of AI development and setting safeguards. Instead, this article proposes the interventions that are needed to address the Generative Artificial Intelligence emergent moment, beyond the easily thrown-around demands of transparency and explainability.

This study sought to analyze Ukraine’s innovative use of Twitter (X) during the Russia–Ukraine War while identifying which Ukrainian innovations may diffuse among diplomatic institutions, thereby impacting the practice of diplomacy. Through an extensive literature review of 90 digital diplomacy studies, the study mapped 14 factors that may facilitate or inhibit the adoption of digital innovations in diplomacy. Using these factors, the study identified four Ukrainian innovations which may be widely adopted by diplomats including lobbying big tech CEOs, using memes and humor to narrate events, and utilizing celebrity Ambassadors. The study also identified one innovation that may not be adopted by diplomats—crowdfunding weapons procurement online. The study discusses the impact of each Ukrainian innovation on diplomatic practices and digital publics. By identifying factors that impact the adoption and diffusion of innovative technologies among diplomats, and demonstrating how such innovations impact diplomacy, the study addresses an important lacuna in digital diplomacy research.

This article examines the role of media partnerships in China’s public diplomacy efforts to reshape its perception in Latin America. It analyses four cases of collaboration between Chinese media organisations and their partners in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Venezuela. The study investigates the nature of these partnerships, the dynamics between the collaborators, and the discourses emerging from the co-produced programmes to advance China’s soft power in the region. The findings reveal a subtle asymmetry, where Latin American voices are included primarily when they contribute to constructing a positive narrative about China’s rise on the continent. Comparable to ‘borrowing microphones’, these media partnerships function as an extended platform for Beijing to disseminate key ideological concepts, such as the ‘community of shared destiny for humankind’, while reshaping China’s image as a champion of free trade and globalisation, in opposition to protectionism and unilateralism.

This study explores the relationship between media consumption patterns of China-related news and American public opinion of China, analyzing responses from an original survey of 1225 US residents. Employing a new measure of hostility that captures not only the emotional responses but also the policy stances individuals may take in relation to foreign policy, the analysis reveals that traditional media sources, such as television, radio, and print newspapers, are associated with heightened hostility toward China. In contrast, consistent engagement with online and social media is linked to lower levels of hostility, suggesting that the broader range of narratives available digitally may foster more nuanced and less adversarial views. These findings challenge the prevalent notion that digital media propagates polarization, proposing instead that it can be a conduit for a more comprehensive understanding of global affairs.

We address the relationship between negative news media coverage of Islam and antisemitic attitudes among Muslims as an indicator of cognitive Islamist radicalization. Conceptually grounded in Social Identity Theory and the concept of intergroup competitive victimhood, the study investigates the effects of exposure to negative news media coverage of Muslims and Islam on Muslims living in Germany ( N = 96). While exposure to negative news does not increase Muslims’ perceptions of discrimination, it does strengthen the association between perceived discrimination and antisemitic attitudes. The findings indicate that this problematic link can be mitigated by news media literacy, highlighting the importance of such literacy as a resource to protect members of religious minorities from the negative effects caused by exposure to negative news portrayals of their religion. Explanations for these findings are discussed.

This conversation is an account of the panel discussions held during the Communication Policy and Technology 50th Anniversay pre-conference, co-organised by the Communication, Policy and Technology (CPT) Section and the Global Media Policy (GMP) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), and the Department of Communications & New Media and the CivicTech Lab at the National University of Singapore on July 12, 2025. The session brought together long-standing CPT Section members with current and former co-chairs. Exchanging diverse viewpoints, the participants reflected on past, present and future challenges of research on communciation policy and technology and its potential impact. The conversation emphasised the importance of critical research in addressing issues related to power, human rights, ethics and inequality within both global and national communication policy.