CONFERENCE THEME: CONNECTED FUTURES?
Rapid changes in the media industry have meant both producers and consumers have had to adapt very quickly to the many transformations of recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated some of these existing trends, including the rise of streaming services and the 24-hour news cycle, both of which have had significant impacts on production and consumption habits. Media bring people together but also keep them apart, simultaneously connecting and separating, bridging physical distances, yet also potentially creating emotional voids. It is often said media technology is speeding up the pace of human life at the expense of connecting and relating to fellow human beings, though arguably, this has been a perennial concern and anxiety about the communication media for at least the last century.