The University of the Philippines (UP) Department of Communication Research (ComRes) hosted this year’s Communication Research International Conference (CRIC), with the theme “MediAgenda: The Mediatization of Communication in Asia,” last November 17-18 at the UP Cine Adarna.
CRIC 2023 was a collaboration with nine international partner universities, predominantly from Southeast Asia. It attracted over 700 attendees, including presenters and speakers from nine countries and 57 institutions. The two-day conference featured six plenary sessions and 21 parallel sessions.
International partner universities included four from Indonesia (Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sekretary Tarakanita, Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 (UNTAG) Surabaya, Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, and Universitas Multimedia Nusantara), two from Taiwan (National Chengchi University and National Taiwan Normal University), and one each from Malaysia (Sunway University), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and Thailand (Chulalongkorn University).
ComRes organized the conference to create a platform for both students and educators to showcase their media and communication research outside traditional classroom settings.
Keynote speakers for this year’s conference included Professor Mirca Madianou of Goldsmith University, in London, Associate Professor Younbo Jung from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and ComRes Chair Associate Professor Randy Jay Solis.
The opening ceremony was honored by the presence of UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, Dean Fernando Paragas of the UP College of Mass Communication, and Quezon City (QC) Assistant Administrator for General Affairs Rene Grapilon, representing QC Mayor Joy Belmonte.
CRIC, evolving from the Communication Research Student Conference and later the National Communication Research Conference in 2012, has grown into an international forum since 2016, which aims to foster academic dialogue and research collaborations across Asia and beyond.