Digitalization increasingly shapes our entire social life in all areas of society. Culture, economy and society are infiltrated with new technological advances. This leads to new forms of mediatization, as digital media are integrated into communicative structures in varied ways.
At the same time, it displays to academics and non-academics alike, the inherent globalization of digitalized communicative structures, as digitization permeates everyday life on a personal, social and global level. Global flows of information and digital affect therefore need to be regarded as fundamental and integral parts of daily life. Furthermore, rapid developments in digital media technologies lead to global mediatization processes on micro-, meso- and macro levels.
The conference thus addresses a highly up-to-date area that is enormously important not only scientifically, but also politically and socially.
The welcome address was held by the deputy governor of Carinthia, LHStv.(in) Dr.(in) Gaby Schaunig, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Alexander Onysko and Prof. Dr. Katrin Döveling.
In 27 lectures, 2 international keynote speeches (Prof. Stig Hjarvard and Prof. Friedrich Krotz), a high-density panel and a poster session, colleagues from amongst others the USA, Scandinavia, England, Russian Federation, Poland, Portugal, Pakistan, Austria, Germany, China and Australia, the AAU Department of Business Management (WiWi), Department of Media and Communication Sciences (KuWi), Department of Informatics Systems (TeWi), Department of Science and Technology Studies (TeWi) presented latest findings pertaining to questions of digital affect cultures in the digital age, CSR and mediatized work-life-balance, terrorism and media, human computer interaction, transnationalism of mediatization, the mediatization of the patient-physician relationship and so on, disclosing the interdisciplinary nature of this urgently needed research field.