Semarang, October 27, 2025 — The Department of Communication, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Diponegoro University, hosted Professor Nicholas Carah from The University of Queensland, Australia, as part of the International Visiting Professor series focusing on interdisciplinary publishing and digital media studies.

The event was officially opened by Dr. Teguh Yuwono, M.Pol.Admin, Dean of FISIP UNDIP, who highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary research in addressing academic and societal challenges in the digital era. He emphasized that such programs embody UNDIP’s commitment to internationalization and academic excellence.

In the first session, “Publishing Interdisciplinary Articles on Reputable Journals,” Prof. Carah highlighted the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration in advancing communication and social research. He introduced the Australian Internet Observatory, a participatory research initiative where citizen scientists donate digital data such as screen recordings of advertisements, web archives of browsing experiences, and other metadata to understand how digital platforms mediate social life.

The second session, “Social Media, Young People, and Algorithmic Culture,” examined how social media platforms shape youth behavior and identity through algorithmic systems. Prof. Carah explained how digital advertising models evolved since 2012—when Facebook and Instagram integrated ads into user feeds—and elaborated on the concept of “Tuning.” The term describes how algorithms continuously adapt to users’ moods, emotions, and digital interactions, turning everyday social life into data that trains algorithmic models.

By emphasizing that digital communication today operates through emotion, mood, and atmosphere, Prof. Carah encouraged students and researchers to develop a critical understanding of algorithmic culture as part of contemporary communication studies.

Moderated by Dr. Phil Nuriyatul Lailiyah, the session fostered deep academic exchange and critical reflection, reaffirming the Department of Communication UNDIP’s role as a hub for innovative and globally connected media research. (Muhammad Rif’at Al-Razi)