AMIC is delighted to announce that the 23rd AMIC Annual Conference will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 9th-12th July, 2014.

The conference host is the Faculty of Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.

Chulalongkorn University, the Pillar of the Kingdom, is Thailand's first institution of higher learning and officially came into being in March, 1917. Chula, as it is affectionately known, is renowned internationally for its academic standards, teaching and research.

The theme for the AMIC 2014 conference is Communicating in an e-Asia: values, technologies and challenges. The ‘call for papers’ has now been made. (www.amic.org.sg/conference).

In sincerely thanking Chulalongkorn University for its generosity and kindness, AMIC Secretary-General, Martin Hadlow, said that the Board and Secretariat of AMIC cordially invited all members and friends to be present in Bangkok for this highlight event.

The Secretary-General also pointed out that the AMIC conference dates were chosen to complement its sister organization, the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), which will hold its global conference in Hyderabad, India a few days later (15th-19th July). 

“It makes good sense to dovetail such events as it enables academics to stretch their limited travel budgets and to make the most productive use of their precious conference time” he said. “Why not come to AMIC in Bangkok and then fly on to IAMCR in Hyderabad?”

AMIC 2014 ‘CALL FOR PAPERS’ NOW IN FULL SWING

Globally, the last decade has seen exponential growth in the use of mobile technologies and the Internet. From e-mail to e-governance, e-commerce to e-learning, Internet usage has changed the way the world communicates.

At the forefront of the electronic and digital revolution in Asia has been the mobile phone. Recent International Telecommunication Union (ITU) statistics indicate that in the period from 2005 to 2013, mobile (cellular) phone subscriber numbers in the Asia-Pacific region have soared from 833 million to 3,547 million users. The era of an e-Asia has dawned.

The benefits of instant, intranational and trans-border communication have impacted upon almost every aspect of life, with mobile phones and the Internet providing new pathways for inter-personal communication, business and commercial enterprise, community development, educational opportunity, governance and democratic reform. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are an enabling factor in supporting marginalized societies to more beneficially interact with a broader citizenry, while the convergence of computers, media and telecommunications has created new platforms for entrepreneurship, education and political inclusion.

However, in the Asia-Pacific region, where cultural traditions and family values are hugely respected and deeply ingrained, the influences of a new ‘e-Asia literacy’ are impacting on social conventions, etiquette, language and community structures. In a homogenized international ‘knowledge society’ where communication processes transcend national boundaries, the retention of traditional values and ways of life are increasingly challenged.  

AMIC Secretary-General, Martin Hadlow, said that next year’s AMIC international conference theme Communicating in an e-Asia: values, technologies and challenges recognised the huge changes now in progress in the Asian communication landscape.

“At last year’s Yogyakarta conference, we heard of the astonishing growth of new media technologies and the huge numbers of Indonesians now accessing the Internet” he said. “At next year’s conference, to be held in Bangkok, we look again at the field from a scholarly perspective. Our range of conference streams should satisfy all scholars with an interest in communication in Asia and the Pacific”.

Please download the call for papers by clicking here.

GLOBAL ALLIANCE DEVELOPED

The proposed establishment of a Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMG) was the key outcome of a major international conference held in Bangkok, Thailand last month.

The Global Forum on Media and Gender (2nd-4th December) was organised by UNESCO, UN Women and the Government of Thailand. It brought together more than 350 media professionals, practitioners and activists from across the world for three days of intense and fruitful discussions.

The conference gave full support for the development of a Global Alliance to further promote and address gender equality and women’s empowerment in and through the media. The immediate goals of the GAMG include advocacy for the inclusion of relevant issues in the post-2015 development agenda and, in particular, the 2015 UN conference on gender.

AMIC’s Secretary-General represented the organization at the Global Forum.

SLOPPY SCIENCE INVESTIGATED

A university in the Netherlands is calling for manuscripts on “sloppy science” practices for a special issue of the journal Communication Methods and Measures.

The VU University of Amsterdam is planning to publish the special issue on the subject Questionable Research and Publication Practices in Communication Science in 2014.

According to the editors of the issue, Dr. Tilo Hartmann and Dr. Ivar Vermeulen, scientific research communities across the globe are engaged in heated debates about scientific conduct and questionable research and publication practices (often referred to as the “sloppy science” debate). This debate centers on the prevalence of questionable scientific practices and on the extent to which such practices hinder scientific progress. Although the debate originated  in other research fields, such as medicine, criminology and psychology, the editors claim it is also relevant to the practice of communication science.

This special issue of Communication Method & Measures aims to spark a discussion about “sloppy science” in communication research, with the goal of potentially improving standards heading into the future.

The editors are now seeking early feedback on the general idea of the special issue, with a 1st June, 2014 final deadline for proposals.  Interested contributors should immediately contact Dr. Hartmann (t.hartmann@vu.nl) and Dr. Vermeulen (i.e.vermeulen@vu.nl) at the Department of Communication Science, VU University Amsterdam.

HAVE YOU RENEWED YOUR AMIC MEMBERSHIP?

We don't want you to miss all the advantages of being an AMIC member! AMIC membership operates on a calendar year basis, with the 31st December being the date on which renewals are due.

AMIC membership provides for a range of benefits and advantages, including discounted rates on AMIC publications, along with access to free on-line journals. It also enables academics and students to attend AMIC conferences and workshops at privileged registration fee rates.

Come join us!  AMIC membership details are available at www.amic.org.sg or please download the forms for:
Individual Membership
Institutional Membership for Asia (Apart from Japan)
Institutional Membership for all other countries

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL AMIC YEAR

An increased global interest in the Asia-Pacific region ensures that AMIC, as a unique regional organization, is well placed to continue as a focal point for communication/media research and publications.

In sending festive season’s greetings and New Year salutations to all AMIC members and friends, AMIC Secretary-General, Martin Hadlow, also noted that 2013 had been another excellent year for the organization with an increase in membership numbers, a very successful annual conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, a revamped quality quarterly journal, Media Asia, the on-going importance of the Asian Journal of Communication as a globally recognised ‘tier one’ publication, and the appointment of a new Board of Directors.

The new Board comprises the Chairman, Mr. Arun Mahizhnan (Singapore), Professor Binod Agrawal (India), Professor Joseph Man Chan (Hong Kong), Mr. Ramon Tuazon (Philippines), Dr. Pirongrong Ramasoota Rananand (Thailand), Professor Zhengrong Hu (China) and Professor Syed Arabi Idid (Malaysia).

Former Chairman, Professor Ang Peng Hwa (Singapore), is now Chairman d’Honneur and Chairman of the Board of Management.  Another former Chairman, Professor Eddie Kuo (Singapore), is an Adviser to AMIC.

“Like other NGOs, AMIC faces on-going challenges” said AMIC Secretary-General, Martin Hadlow. “However, with its focus now squarely determined, a steadfast Secretariat and an enhanced decision-making Board, we aim to build on our 40+ year history of excellence and to continue to service the needs of our members, friends and the global academic community.”

He especially thanked AMIC’s host institution, the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, for its long-standing commitment to AMIC.

“As we end the year” he said, “on behalf of the Board and Secretariat of AMIC, may we send to all members, friends and their families our best wishes for the festive season and our greetings and salutations for the New Year.”

If you need any further help, please email us at newsletter@amic.org.sg.