UNAIR NEWS – Media and Communication Master’s Program continues to hold prestigious international conferences. For the third time, International Postgraduate Conference on Media and Communication (IPCOMC) is held with “Communication 4.0: Strengthening Media and Community through Digital Transformation” as a theme.
The speakers were Dr. Norizan Anwar (University of Technology MARA Malaysia), Prof. Dr. Hafied Cangara, M.Sc (Hasanudin University Makassar) and Prof. Dr. Henri Subiakto, Drs., S.H., M.H. (Universitas Airlangga). The participants were 58 people from East Java, Bandung, Jakarta, Palembang, Riau, Lampung and Bengkulu.
The event was held at Santika Gubeng Premier Hotel, Surabaya on August 1, 2019 and opened by the Vice Dean 2 of FISIP UNAIR Dr. Budi Tuti Rahayu, Dra., M.Si. In his remarks he said that the industrial revolution 4.0 was a new challenge, not only in technology but also in education. Participants are invited to be involved and explore the evolution of technology and the emergence of Communication 4.0 under a media and communication perspective.
From that big theme, there were several sub-themes as the topics of discussion in the international seminar. One of them was gender issues and identity on social media. Dr. Tuti assessed with the development of technology, gender issues are increasingly represented. Freedom of speech is also spread through the symbolized constructions.
“Social media is not only a medium of self-recognition but also has become an arena for the spread of ideology. Hopefully, with this important event, we can strengthen the media and community through digital transformation, ” she said.
Dr. Santi Isnaini, S.Sos., MM also said, in the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0, higher education must be more capable of producing a competent generation. As an educational institution, of course, Media and Communication Master’s Programs assume responsibility in finding solutions to these problems. Concrete steps that can be implemented are conducting research, discussion and publications related to the issues.
“In this discussion we can all talk further about how significant change in Communication 4.0 has triggered a new form of community and cultural representation. Hopefully, in the future we can move forward and discuss joint collaboration in the future, ” she said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Hafied said that the presence of industry 4.0 had opened up many jobs for the community. Among them are online shopping, online delivery, youtubers, e-marketing and online advertising. However, people must realize that these humans must not feel dependent on these technologies.
“The negative impact presented by the sophistication and the presence of the industrial revolution 4.0 also affects the social behavior of the community. Therefore, we must not depend on that technology, “he added.
Besides speakers from national and international levels, the conference provided an opportunity for paper submission and presentation to discuss their work to get input from each other. The paper selection has commenced since the end of March. (*)
Author: Khefti Al Mawalia
