Communication on the edge: ANZCA 2011 conference a full success

From Florian Kaefer

How does technology change the way we communicate? Is Wikileaks a form of journalism? Does the Internet make formal organizations obsolete? Those were some of the questions discussed at the 2011 conference of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA) in Hamilton from 6-8 July. Hosted by University of Waikato Management School's Department of Management Communication and the Screen and Media Studies programme, communication scholars from as far as Germany, Indonesia, the US and Australia came together for what proved to be a vibrant, stimulating and truly multidisciplinary experience.

For many delegates, the conference provided an opportunity to experience the cultural traditions of Māori for the first time. Conference delegates were welcomed to the university with a whakatau, and soon found themselves actively involved in the hongi – the touching of noses and sharing of breath that is symbolic of physical and spiritual connection. Welcome speeches were followed by waiata – songs - and miniature "poi" (small hand-crafted balls on a string, symbolizing appreciation) were given to delegates in the University colours black, red, and gold, together with a small piece of paua shell. Distinguished keynote speakers, such as University of Waikato Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Professor Cynthia Stohl and Professor Michael Stohl, both from the University of California, and film maker Gaylene Preston, "the story-listener of Aotearoa", shared their research and experiences. Independent film and TV producer, writer, Tainui Stephens stressed the untapped potential of embracing Maori knowledge as a way to bring the country forward, and high-calibre panellists discussed burning issues such as the future of communication research and journalism education.

The conference closed with a poroporoaki, where both hosts and visitors expressed their gratitude for having been able to participate in such a unique and inspiring ANZCA conference. As one delegate put it, if you only meet at least one nice person, hear at least one inspiring talk and have good food along the way, you may rest assured a conference is worthwhile. Judging by the overwhelmingly positive feedback, most of us were able to tick those boxes.

The following short summary of key themes and discussions is for those of you who couldn't participate this time but might want to join in at the next ANZCA conference in Adelaide, Australia (please feel free to pass the word among your colleagues and friends).

Knowledge is power – if it is shared

Walking the edges, pushing the boundaries and transforming spaces – the conference theme addressed tectonic shifts in the way individuals, societies, organisations, and the media communicate. In Christchurch, for instance, twitter and mobile phone text messages help broadcasters to make sense of the earthquake aftermath; online games are created to encourage residents to participate in the rebuild of their city. Social network sites, such as Facebook and YouTube, become the preferred communication platforms for whole generations, providing the mechanism for bringing down suppressive regimes, such as those of Tunisia and Egypt. Where traditional media reach their limits, new media jumps in. Not least, as the many citizen-reporters of the Arab Spring have shown, many perceived boundaries are now a construct of the past. Protests move online, to virtual space. The end-to-end structure and ubiquity of new media technologies help open up audiences and give marginalized and neglected groups a voice. In organizations, Cynthia Stohl reports, ways of interaction and participation have become hybrid – and established theories obsolete.

Crowd sourcing initiatives, such as Wikileaks, challenge the role of traditional media in the digital age. Should Nicholas Kristof be applauded or shunned for crossing the moral boundary between eye-witnessing and assuming responsibility when reporting from conflict zones, such as the Congo? What about the impact of language choice on policy actions, such as in news coverage of terrorism? Language polarizes and therefore creates boundaries, Michael Stohl observes. Only if edges are crossed and language is shared, will there be possibilities of change.

Communication means identity

Identity can be a tricky thing in a country still struggling to overcome the trauma of colonization. Building good relationships needs communication but also a desire to communicate, Tainui Stephens, Māori film-maker and TV producer, insists. His message to the conference audience: Maintaining a sense of identity is key to humanity. Our perspectives on the world might differ, but each can help us understand our purpose in life and to create a sense of belonging unique to Aotearoa. And we are getting there. New generations of Māori story tellers come with a strong sense of identity and pride in their roots, refusing to accept established mindsets and prejudices, he reports. Socio-cultural boundaries cease to exist in a time where imagination, passion and changing technologies are bound to create our future. After all, "edges become realities for people as soon as they start to define belief systems and actions", Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith warns – herself descendent from two different Māori tribes.

Gaylene Preston, on the other hand, looked at how memory has become fluid and amnesia prevalent in times where computers have become the campfires of the past. Stories have taken over news, genres are blurred. News programmes are becoming more and more commercialized, addressing the consumer rather than the citizen. Perhaps we should get the whole population abroad for a while so that they can all see how other countries are doing things, Tainui suggests. Like many others, he is seriously concerned about the quality of public broadcasting in New Zealand and its questionable ability to bring the right information to a geographically isolated country.

Be a good professional, help make profit!"

From a professional angle, practitioners feel that managerial power is growing over journalism, by itself a profession both loved and hated. Is it enough to provide graduates with the necessary technical skills and leave the rest to hands-on training once at work – or do universities have an intellectual responsibility to educate critical thinkers? No matter how technically skilled, journalists need background knowledge in history, philosophy, politics, law etc to make sense of the world. The challenge, most agree, is to craft courses that help overcome the boundary between theory and practice. Educators have a moral and pedagogical obligation to address the absence of critical studies in the journalism curriculum.

Evaluating academic research

How to measure research quality? Should we merely count the number of research articles – and how to quantify the impact of research on society? Questions that lead to a vivid panel discussion. Clearly, not only media and communication practitioners face drastic changes. Scholars, too, need to prepare for a new era of research evaluation, driven by globalization, digitalization and structural changes in the way journals function.

Award winners

Amanda Bateman, lecturer at University of Waikato's School of Education, won the Peoples' Choice Awards for her paper presentation titled "Watch, listen and learn; Observing children's social conduct through their communication". Her encouraging call to overcome theoretical limitations and break with all too narrow classifications in order to get satisfying answers – in her case regarding the social conduct of children – should be taken as an appeal to education and communication scholars as a whole. Kris Vavasour from the University of Canterbury, was this year's Grant Noble Prize winner for the best postgraduate paper, and Frank Sligo from Massey Universitywon the Christopher Newell Prize for the Best Paper dealing with Disabiliyt/Equity/Social Justice and Communication, with his paper on literacy, tutor dilemmas and apprentices' limited learning capacity.

May our own learning capacity remain powerful and strong to make sense of the many (technological, cultural, social, political,…) changes ahead. The spirit of the ANZCA conference 2011 in Hamilton, New Zealand, lives on – Adelaide now bears the torch for the 2012 conference.

Florian Kaefer is an ANZCA member and a PhD candidate at the University of Waikato Management School, Hamilton, New Zealand.