Call for papers: SMiD 2026 – 50 Years Anniversary Conference
May 7-8, 2026
Roskilde University, Denmark
Emerging forms of AI, in particular GenAI, are fundamentally reshaping contemporary media and communication research and educational practices. Recent estimates show that ChatGPT alone processes approx. 2.5 billion prompts daily, which shows the speed and scale at which such tools are currrently adopted in various contexts. AI developments do not only raise fundamental critical questions about the changing conditions of media and communication, agency, power, journalistic practices, organisational structures, etc., but also spark profound methodological and epistemological debates, which challenge the status quo of academic research, teaching and learning.
Current AI developments echo, mirror and build upon previous technological innovations, all of which have been subject to critical inquiry and are deeply embedded into broader societal and cultural transformations. Over the past five decades, such developments have continuously redefined the study objects of media and communication research, expanding the field from its early focus on mass media and television to encompass a wide array of digital platforms and datafied infrastructures. SMiD 2026 invites scholars and educators to engage in discussions and reflections on how media and communication research can provide adequate responses to the pressing questions contemporary societies are facing in the era of AI.
Topics may include but are not limited to:
- Changing communication and media practices, e.g., transformations in everyday communication practices, shifting norms, cultures, human-machine communication, health communication.
- GenAI in relation to news production, journalism and data, e.g., how AI reshapes journalistic routines, newsroom work, GenAI as epistemic authorities.
- Platform materiality and environmental communication, e.g., critical examinations of the material and environmental demands of GenAI and how these are communicated, justified and/or obscured, narratives of resistance on the inevitability of AI, alternative digital futures.
- Historical, ethical and philosophical perspectives on GenAI, e.g., historical trajectories, philosophical and ethical implications, and changing human-machine relations.
- Audience and user studies, e.g., how users and audiences make sense of, interpret, and co-create GenAI output, shifting forms of agency, engagement, trust, and literacy across various contexts.
- Methodological explorations, e.g., opportunities and challenges for research design, data collection, and analysis, as well as ethical considerations.
- Academic teaching and learning, e.g., innovative pedagogical approaches to using/resisting GenAI in media and communication education.
The SMiD 2026 anniversary conference marks 50 years of media and communication research in Denmark, the Nordics and beyond, as well as 45 years of the media and communication journal MedieKultur. It brings together academic scholars, from PhD candidates to professors, and practitioners within the broader field of media and communication research.
Abstract submissions and other contributions (in Danish or English) should be between 300 and 500 words (excluding references and a short bio). Please submit no later than February 28th, 2026 via e-mail to smid@foreningen-smid.dk. We welcome traditional academic formats in the form of abstracts and presentations, and we encourage creative and/or experimental, alternative contributions. In connection to the conference, participants are invited to submit a full paper for peer-review to MedieKultur.
As in the previous years, SMiD 2026 is open to all researchers and practitioners with connections to the media and communication research and/or practice environment in Denmark and/or having the wish to connect to the community. If your work is not related to the overall conference theme, you are still welcome to submit an abstract and present your work.
For further information please visit: https://www.foreningen-smid.dk/
Conference costs (including lunch, dinner and refreshments, excluding transportation and lodging):
- Conference participation and full SMiD membership: 2000 DKK
- Conference participation and reduced SMiD membership (e.g., PhD students and emerita): 1700 DKK
- Conference attendance only: 1500 DKK
In special circumstances it is possible to waive the conference fee, e.g. if you are an independent researcher or due to other circumstances. Please write a short informal application stating your current situation via e-mail to smid@foreningen-smid.dk.
Timeline
Notification of acceptance: March 11th, 2026
Conference registration: March 27th, 2026