The College of Communication, National Chengchi University hosted the "Chinese Social Media Research" symposium on July 8th and 9th. This event marked the first international and cross-strait academic conference hosted by the college since the onset of the pandemic. It brought together experts to discuss the impacts of social media on society. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Facebook, the theme of this symposium is based on social media, and also explores the impact of social media on society, extending to the relationship between social media and health, social interaction, political participation and minorities.
Dean Dr. Yi-Ning Chen delivered the opening remarks for the symposium, highlighting the importance of resuming cross-strait academic exchanges. She expressed enthusiasm for diverse perspectives on platforms like TikTok and Xiaohongshu (China’s version of Instagram), which are popular platforms in China. As for Taiwan, misinformation was mentioned as a key issue on social media. Other topics of concern to scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, such as social media governance, policies, information science and marketing, were discussed in depth at the symposium.
Professor Ven-Hwei Lo, a key facilitator of the conference, took the stage to deliver encouraging words, and urged participants to submit more papers and wished the event success. Following him, Professor Ran Wei from Hong Kong Baptist University delivered the keynote speech, titled “The Paradoxes of Social Media: Uncovering the Positive, Negative and Contradictory Aspects.” He explored the complex impacts of social media on society, particularly on youth.
The symposium featured discussions on various topics, including the integration of technology and humanistic perspectives in social media. Prominent scholars shared their insights. Professor Baohua Zhou, Associate Dean of the School of Journalism at Fudan University, discussed the significant influence of social media in today’s digital age. “We have now entered an era of deep digitization, where social media has a significant impact on our lives," said Professor Zhou. He also emphasized the need for a human-centered approach in the process of technology development.
Hanyun Huang , an Associate Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Xiamen University, returned to NCCU after 16 years. She first visited as a student attending a summer exchange program and has now been a scholar to share her extensive research findings with the attendees. She expressed a hope to continue such cross-strait academic exchanges and increase collaborative research opportunities. She believed that the sharing and discussions at this conference would enrich academic outcomes and spark new research ideas. She looked forward to more academic interactions and collaborations in the future.
The two-day conference featured keynote speeches from outstanding social media researchers, such as Prof. Ran Wei, Associate Dean and Chair Professor at the School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University; Jih Hsuan Lin, a Distinguished Professor at NCCU; and George Chen, Managing Director of The Asia Group. It also included six thematic sessions that fostered in-depth scholarly discussions. More than 20 experts from Chinese-speaking regions, including Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan participated.
