Media Education in Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities

Ever changing technology is constantly altering the media landscape all over the world. One

cannot avoid the impact of technology in every sphere of life including media education and

practices; posing new challenges to its symbiotic relationship. On the one hand, there are high

expectations from the new means of communication, on the other hand, there is an increasing

skepticism due to monopolies of the corporate world. The increase in the media education

institutions and media outlets throughout the world, indicate that the landscape is full of

challenges and opportunities. A need in media education to identify and conceptualize the

challenges, formulate appropriate policies, devise effective strategies, and utilize available

resources to convert the challenges into opportunities is increasing day by day.

In an integrative spirit, through dialogue and deliberations with all the stakeholders, the AMCAP

International Conference 2019 aims to collectively produce content to serve as a guideline in

media education to develop it both as a social science discipline and as a professional degree.

The conference is being organized to promote cooperation in academic education and research

in the field of Media Education, by the Association of Media & Communication Academic

Professionals (AMCAP), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST)

and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC).

Though the challenges to media education are numerous this conference focuses on three

themes. First theme of the conference address how new media has changed the traditional

media landscape across the world and how we need to fully conceptualize and incorporate these

challenges in our media education. Scholars are still grappling with the emerging scenario, new

media theories, and models, relevant research methods, compatible skills to explore the

opportunities in the cyber world.

The second theme of the conference focuses on emerging ethical issues in media with an

objective to collectively produce content that can serve as a guideline in media education. The

contemporary world is facing increasing tensions and conflicts across the globe. Though the

communication technology has compressed the time-space distanciation, the world is still

fragmented as we are not consciously bringing common values to work for peace, harmony, and

a common good. Due to corporate world monopolies, regulating media through ethical values is

a great challenge to media education.

Theme three is about conflict communication. Conflict is inevitable in all societies and across

relationships. Conflict is not necessarily a negative scenario; it may lead to positive developments

and constructive environments where communities can actualize their potentials. Conflicts are

of different types which need different communication strategies, approaches, tools, and

measures depending on the context, situation, and expectations. Scholars from different parts of

the world have conceptualized conflict communication in their own perspectives; often reducing

it to binary oppositions, identifying the “other” as an enemy. In conflict communication, there is

a need to perceive the “other” with a different but positive identity.

Conference Themes

Following are the key themes and sub-themes proposed for CFP and working group deliberations:

Theme 1: New Media Challenges and Opportunities for Media Education

1: Collapsing of traditional theories

2: Emergence of new theories

3: E-journalism: Points of convergence and divergence

4: Popular genres and content on new media

5: New media and big data

6: New technologies, new research trends

7: Gender and cyber entrepreneurship.

Theme 2: Emerging Ethical Issues in Media: Challenges in Media Education

1: Cyberbullying and harassment

2: Freedom of expression and ethical dilemmas

3: Taming the untamed: Political economy and media ethics

4: Cognitive dissonance and media ethics

5: Infotainment and ethics

6: Reinventing ethics for new media?

Theme 3: Conflict Communication: From Challenges to Opportunities

1: Imagining futures: The ‘other’ not as an enemy

2: Cybersphere, public sphere, private sphere: Pros and cons of conflict communication

3: Gender and conflict communication

 4: Citizen journalism and conflict communication

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