Communication, Language, Education and Society in a Digital Age: Emerging Interdisciplinary Perspectives from DIFCON-CLESS 2026
A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 61
Special Issue Editor
Interests: multiculturalism and intercultural communication; interpersonal communication; cultural identities; leadership and management communication; internal and workplace communication; business and external communication; social media exposure and consumption; organisational psychology; management; education
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Rapid advancements in digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and global connectivity are transforming the ways individuals communicate, learn, work, and engage with society. These developments have significant implications across multiple disciplines, including communication, language studies, education, cultural studies, and the broader social sciences. As digital environments continue to reshape social interaction, knowledge creation, and cultural expression, interdisciplinary research is increasingly necessary to understand these evolving dynamics.
This Special Issue presents selected papers from the International Conference on Communication, Language, Education and Social Sciences (CLESS 2026), bringing together emerging scholarship that examines contemporary developments at the intersection of communication, technology, and society. The contributions reflect a wide spectrum of research areas, including digital communication practices, artificial intelligence in education and society, language and discourse studies, media and cultural representation, social media behaviour, consumer communication, and broader socio-economic and policy issues.
Many of the papers explore the growing influence of digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and data-driven systems in shaping communication practices, learning environments, organizational strategies, and public discourse. Others focus on cultural identity, social wellbeing, media narratives, and societal challenges in increasingly interconnected communities.
By bringing together diverse perspectives from scholars across Asia and beyond, this Special Issue aims to advance interdisciplinary dialogue and provide new insights into how communication, language, education, and social systems are adapting to technological and societal transformations. This Issue highlights innovative research that contributes to both theoretical development and practical applications in contemporary digital societies.
Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following:
Communication and Media
- Digital communication and social media dynamics
- Media framing, discourse analysis, and narrative studies
- Strategic communication, branding, and marketing communication
- Intercultural and cross-cultural communication
- Communication and social change
Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies
- AI in communication and media
- Artificial intelligence in education and learning
- AI literacy and digital ethics
- Data-driven decision making and predictive analytics
- Human–AI interaction and digital communication platforms
Language and Discourse
- Sociolinguistics and discourse analysis
- Language and workplace communication
- Translation studies and multilingual communication
- Language, identity, and cultural expression
Education and Learning Innovation
- Digital learning environments and hybrid learning
- Student engagement and learning analytics
- Project-based and experiential learning
- Educational technology and adaptive learning systems
Culture, Society and Well-Being
- Cultural identity and media representation
- Youth, media consumption, and social wellbeing
- Digital culture and online communities
- Health communication and public awareness
- Sustainability, policy, and societal transformation
Dr. Kavitha Balakrishnan
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- digital communication
- artificial intelligence in education
- social media dynamics
- discourse analysis
- AI literacy
- digital learning environments
- cultural identity and media
- media representation
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