Abstracts Submission

Over the past decade, emergent technologies have opened new avenues for political actors to shape public opinion, discredit rivals, and gain advantage—often by subverting established norms of political communication. Billionaires purchase media platforms to influence discourse, influencers are paid to spread covert political messages, and bots and trolls distort opinion and stoke discord to serve hidden agendas. Meanwhile, journalists, institutions, and the public struggle to respond in a chaotic, attention-driven environment where information is weaponised and trust eroded.

This climate has empowered malevolent actors who stage public spectacles to distract attention while operating behind the scenes to weaken democratic norms and concentrate power without scrutiny. While recent research on disinformation and “fake news” has focused on tracking problematic content and its effects, scholars now increasingly recognise that these are not external threats but systemic tools often wielded by elite actors. Yet, there remains a lack of understanding around how specific actors exploit new media to pursue anti-democratic goals.

This thematic issue brings together global scholars to explore how technological affordances are exploited to undermine political institutions, destabilise liberal democracy, and promote nativism, racism, and authoritarianism. By investigating these strategic communication tactics, we aim to identify the roots of political dysfunction and build resilience against these threats.

We welcome research on the communication practices of malign elites and extreme actors, especially from the Global South and East, and non-Western political systems. We also seek work examining intersections with colonial legacies, wealth inequality, and gendered harm.

Topics of interest include:

• Strategic political communication in the attention economy, such as micro-targeting;
• How “culture war” topics and/or polarisation discourses are used to drive anti-democratic or anti-establishment sentiment;
• The strategic use of disinformation tactics and/or conspiracy theories for political advantage;
• Use of AI and automation by malign political actors;
• Media manipulation strategies, such as the relationship between political actors and hyper-partisan media outlets;
• Efforts to erode public trust in institutions and governance.

Authors interested in submitting a paper for this issue are asked to consult the journal's instructions for authors and submit their abstracts (maximum of 250 words, with a tentative title) through the abstracts system (here). When submitting their abstracts, authors are also asked to confirm that they are aware that Media and Communication is an open access journal with a publishing fee if the article is accepted for publication after peer-review (corresponding authors affiliated with our institutional members do not incur this fee).

Readers across the globe will be able to access, share, and download this issue entirely for free. Corresponding authors affiliated with any of our institutional members (over 90 institutions worldwide) publish free of charge. Otherwise, an article processing fee will be charged to the authors to cover editorial costs. We defend that authors should not have to personally pay this fee and encourage them to check with their institutions if funds are available to cover open access publication costs. Further information about the journal's open access charges can be found here.

This thematic issue examines how AI systems transform human communication and public meaning. Generative models, conversational agents, and emotional AI now mediate interactions across personal and public spheres, influencing interpretation, emotional judgment, and discourse. AI functions not only as a tool but as an active participant in meaning-making, reshaping norms, expectations, and the emotional tone of communication.

Key interests include emotional and relational communication with AI companions that simulate empathy and care, raising questions about authenticity, intimacy, and vulnerability. These systems offer comfort yet redefine relational meaning. Another focus is AI’s role in public communication, where generative tools create news, narratives, and personalized content, challenging norms in journalism and media ethics through automation and emotional framing.

We invite interdisciplinary research on topics such as trust, affect in AI content, audience interpretation, governance, and cultural narratives to map the evolving landscape of AI-mediated communication.

We welcome original research articles, conceptual essays, comparative studies, and systematic reviews on topics including but not limited to:

• AI-mediated interpersonal communication and changing interaction patterns;
• Human–AI relational communication and emerging forms of hybrid interaction;
• Emotional AI in interpersonal and mediated communication;
• User agency, autonomy, and resistance within AI-mediated environments;
• AI companions and the transformation of relational and social life;
• Generative AI and its role in shaping meaning-making and interpretation;
• AI-driven production, curation, and amplification of news and public information;
• Algorithmic gatekeeping, agenda-setting, and personalization in media systems;
• Trust formation, credibility assessment, and public understanding of AI-mediated content;
• AI-generated narratives, storytelling formats, and transformations in journalistic practice;
• Audience interpretation, engagement, and participation in AI-enriched media environments;
• Human agency, co-creation, and collaborative meaning-making in AI-supported communication;
• Cultural narratives, media representations, and social imaginaries of AI;
• Psychological responses to AI-mediated communication, including attachment and dependency;
• Ethical design, governance frameworks, and accountability in AI-mediated communication;
• AI-mediated identity formation, social categorization, and the shaping of norms;
• Political communication, persuasion, and influence through generative and algorithmic systems;
• Cross-cultural and global perspectives on AI-mediated communication and media use;
• AI-assisted content moderation, platform-governed communication, and communicative rights;
• Transparency, interpretability, and communicative expectations in AI-driven systems;
• Educational, therapeutic, and community-based uses of AI-mediated communication;
• The impact of AI on creativity, authorship, collaboration, and media-production practices.

Authors interested in submitting a paper for this issue are asked to consult the journal's instructions for authors and submit their abstracts (maximum of 250 words, with a tentative title) through the abstracts system (here). When submitting their abstracts, authors are also asked to confirm that they are aware that Media and Communication is an open access journal with a publishing fee if the article is accepted for publication after peer-review (corresponding authors affiliated with our institutional members do not incur this fee).

Readers across the globe will be able to access, share, and download this issue entirely for free. Corresponding authors affiliated with any of our institutional members (over 90 institutions worldwide) publish free of charge. Otherwise, an article processing fee will be charged to the authors to cover editorial costs. We defend that authors should not have to personally pay this fee and encourage them to check with their institutions if funds are available to cover open access publication costs. Further information about the journal's open access charges can be found here.