We contributed to the conference with several presentations and interactive formats addressing democracy, participation, diversity, digital communication and historical perspectives:

• The World Café session “Diversity as a Strength for Democratic Media Spaces?” focused on diversity in Austrian news production, representation and audience reception. The discussion brought together Eva Tamara Asboth, Sandra Förster, Johanna Klausing, Christina Krakovsky, Marina Lindmeyr, Marie Rathmann, Krisztina Rozgonyi and Andreas Schulz-Tomančok.

• In the panel “Algorithmic Normativity? ChatGPT in Discourses on Gender-Based Violence”, Charlotte Spencer-Smith, Ricarda Drüeke and Corinna Peil examined the role of AI systems such as ChatGPT in shaping public discourse on gender-based violence.

• The session “Future Dialogic Public Spheres: Dialogue as a Communicative Tool Against Polarising and Populist Narratives” explored the potential of dialogic communication as a response to increasing polarisation. It was presented by Christina Krakovsky, Marie Rathmann, Marina Lindmeyr, Sandra Förster, Krisztina Rozgonyi and Tobias Eberwein.

• Andreas Schulz-Tomančok and Josef Seethaler presented “Not About Us Without Us!”, focusing on the inclusion of people affected by poverty in Austrian public service media.

• Christian Oggolder contributed with a presentation on the historical dimensions of work.

The conference offered an important space for exchange, discussion and reflection on current challenges and future directions in communication research. 

We also had the pleasure of meeting our colleagues from the University of Klagenfurt, making the exchange particularly valuable. The image reflects the close cooperation between the two institutions, which are jointly embedded in a long-standing institutional partnership. This collaboration enables shared research projects, teaching activities and continuous academic exchange across locations in Vienna and Klagenfurt. Find more about how the institutes are interconnected: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/cmc/the-institute/about-us/cooperation

Das CMC veröffentlicht einige Texte auch in leichter Sprache (Deutsch):

Die Kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Tage 2026 fanden in Salzburg statt. Sie sind eine Tagung für Kommunikationswissenschaft. Das CMC hat an der Tagung teilgenommen. Die Forscher und Forscherinnen haben Vorträge gehalten und mit anderen Menschen diskutiert. Es ging um wichtige Themen wie Demokratie, Vielfalt, Medien im Internet, Künstliche Intelligenz und die Beteiligung von Menschen in der Gesellschaft. Wir haben uns besonders gefreut, unsere Kolleginnen und Kollegen aus Klagenfurt getroffen zu haben.