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Nordic countries were notably well represented, with substantial participation from Denmark (146), Finland (76), Iceland (3), Norway (91), and Sweden (102). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The conference, however, also welcomed researchers from outside the Nordics, including Belgium, France, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Germany \u2013 as well as Canada, the US, Egypt, India, and Gambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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NordMedia25 hosted 14 divisions and 3 temporary working groups (TWGs). Of particular note, Media, Communication and Health<\/em> and Visual Communication and Cultures<\/em> \u2013 previously temporary working groups were granted the status of divisions this year. In addition, two new TWGs were welcomed: Media and Linguistic Minorities<\/em> and Digital Technologies, Materiality, and the Environment<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below is an overview of the divisions and temporary working groups for 2025<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The theme of NordMedia25, Imagining Livable Futures<\/em>, centred on the major crises of our time \u2013 climate change, war, pandemics, and misinformation \u2013 while questioning whether our current ways of life could endure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The theme aimed to draw attention to the double-edged role of new media technologies, such as artificial intelligence, which offer possibilities for solutions but also risks of greater inequality and disinformation. The conference encouraged scholars in media, journalism, and communication to move beyond analysis and consider how their work might help shape more ethical, sustainable, and livable futures. For detailed information, refer to the conference theme text.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The conference featured three keynote speakers: Jill Walker Rettberg (University of Bergen, Norway) & Annette Markham (Utrecht University, Netherlands), and Kim Christian Schr\u00f8der (Roskilde University, Denmark). <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Walker Rettberg\u2019s and Markham\u2019s opening keynote dialogue explored how researchers and educators can respond to rapid technological change, particularly the rise of AI. Moving beyond simple utopian or dystopian views, they reflected on AI\u2013human intersections and their impact on research itself. Drawing from their own practices, they emphasised the importance of experimentation, playful engagement, and transgressing disciplinary norms to cultivate ethical, hopeful approaches, and to imagine truly different, livable futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Schr\u00f8der\u2019s closing keynote in turn traced the scholarly debate on the idea of a distinct Nordic media system. His presentation outlined key positions on the continued role and relevance of the Nordic media welfare state, particularly in news provision, drawing on recent audience-centred research. He also tentatively explored how Nordic news media address climate challenges and how they may help equip citizens to imagine livable futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n A one-day academic workshop for doctoral candidates in media and communication studies was held ahead of the main conference. This was the fifth edition of the pre-conference, first introduced at the 2017 conference in Tampere, and it has since grown into an integral part of the NordMedia tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2025, the pre-conference received 64 applications, of which 30 doctoral students were accepted. The event also included 23 senior discussants from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. It was financed by Nordicom and the Swedish-Danish Cultural Foundation [Svensk-Danska Kulturfonden]. Serving as a valuable forum for discussing Nordic PhD projects and fostering academic networks, the seminar was organised and coordinated by Maarit Jaakkola, co-director at Nordicom, as in previous years. Here you can read Maarit’s reflection on the pre-doctoral conference.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a practical toolkit for imagining livable futures, the local organisers at SDU introduced a card game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The rules were as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n Form a group of 4\u20136 people.<\/strong> Each participant should hold a different card, ensuring that all four categories are represented within the group: characters, technology, habitats,<\/em> and values.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Together, use your cards as prompts to create a vision of the future. The year is 2075<\/strong>. Ask yourselves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Write down your vision, including a title, the cards you used, and the names of your group members, and submit it to the gamemaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n You are welcome to use the cards in your own teaching or research: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Imagining Livable Futures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Pre-conference for Doctoral Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A Card Game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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