Presentation

The media, as well as activities directly related to the production and dissemination of media content, such as journalism, advertising or public relations, are going through a period of great changes, which has led to an increasing number of reflections on sustainability of the current media landscape.

The crisis of traditional business models has been widely highlighted by academics studying the subject (such as van der Haak, Parks, Castells, McChesney, Anderson, Rushkoff), emphasizing uncertainties and seeking sustainable alternatives in a global context. If, on the one hand, the migration of the public to digital platforms and, consequently, of advertisers, is allowing large technology companies (Amazon, Google, Meta, etc.) to capture a large part of advertising revenue, on the other hand, the rise of digital social networks as primary sources of information has changed the way media content is accessed. 

In this way, there is less investment in investigative journalism, the dissemination of lies and the manipulation of information, and a focus on infotainment, all of which contribute to general misinformation and the discrediting of journalism itself. In advertising and content production, the fragmentation of audiences across different platforms (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, etc.) makes campaign planning more complex and brings new challenges, in addition to the dependence of agencies and advertisers on these platforms.

At the same time, the increase and “normalization” of precarious work in all these areas of communication and media also have a profound impact on their sustainability, particularly by affecting the quality, diversity, innovation and even pluralism of their content. On the other hand, new possibilities stimulated by technological development, such as the expansion of the geographic market, deserve to be highlighted.

Thinking about and discussing the (un)sustainability of the media therefore implies going beyond the successively invoked economic-financial dimension and also considering the social, cultural, technological, ethical and environmental dimensions, among others. It means looking at the financial viability of the media, but also at how the media perform their multiple functions in society, understanding the effects and consequences of the transformations taking place in the current context.  

The international conference “The (Un)sustainability of the Media” thus seeks to promote a critical and multidisciplinary debate on the challenges and contradictions of today’s media landscape. The aim is to reflect on the role of the media and journalism in the functioning of Western democracies, the confrontation between conventional media and digital social networks as channels for accessing information and creating spaces for visibility and sociability, the challenges and potential of different forms of civic participation in promoting more inclusive governance, the promotion of media literacy, and the ethical and environmental challenges of digital technologies.

Program – November 20, 2025

9:00am OPENING SESSION (Vítor Macieira Auditorium, ESCS-IPL)
            President of IPL, António Belo
            President of ESCS, André Sendin
            President of LIACOM, Jorge Veríssimo
9:30am PLENARY SESSION
            Gilles Lipovetsky
               Theme: Coming soon
11:00am Coffee break and opening of the Landscape Museum exhibition
11:30am PARALLEL SESSIONS
1:00pm LUNCH
2:30pm PARALLEL SESSIONS

4:00pm Coffee break
4:30pm ROUND-TABLE
            Américo Aguiar (Bishop of Setubal)
            Sofia Ramalho (President of the Portuguese Psychologists Association)
            Telmo Gonçalves (Member of the ERC Regulatory Board)
            Teolinda Gersão (Writer)
            Moderation – Joana Pontes (Integrated researcher at LIACOM)
6:00pm CLOSING SESSION (Vítor Macieira Auditorium, ESCS-IPL)
            Vice-President of LIACOM, Sandra Miranda
            President of the Scientific Council of LIACOM, Maria João Centeno

Keynote speaker

Gilles Lipovetsky, a French philosopher, is one of the European thinkers who has most influenced the analysis of today’s society.

Lipovetsky is a member of the Conseil d’Analyse de la Société – an advisory body to the French Prime Minister, and the author of a vast work on the transformations of society, exploring how modernity has evolved into a hypermodernity, marked by hedonism and narcissism, the culture of excess, the illusion of the ephemeral and the rise of individualism.

His works include: “The Age of Emptiness” (1983), “The Empire of the Ephemeral” (1987), “The Paradoxical Happiness, Essay on the Society of Hyperconsumption” (2006), “Pleasing and Touching. Essay on the Seduction Society” (2017), “The Rite of Authenticity” (2021), and “The New Age of Kitsch” (2023).

The awarding of the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by several international universities, including a Portuguese one, and the awarding of the highest distinction of the French Republic, the medal of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, reveal the recognition of Lipovetsky’s work and thought by academia and society.

Call for papers

Communication proposals may be submitted, as an absctract, to the following parallel sessions:

Profound changes in the media ecosystem, with audiences moving to digital social networks, flooded with false information and polarized and extreme narratives, point to the need to reflect on the future of journalism as a powerful resource for defending democracy and truth. According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, in a universe of 47 countries, only 40% of respondents say they trust most news. Faced with this reality, the survival of journalism seems to depend, above all, on regaining lost credibility and trust.

While it will not be entirely possible to combat the dizzying speed with which false information spreads on social media, produced not by journalists but by agents interested in spreading a biased point of view, with harmful effects for Western democracies, it may be feasible to reinforce the rigor and depth of the subjects covered, reaffirming journalism as a provider of public service and an agent for the defense of the common good. The proposal for the Journalism Trends Laboratory session is an invitation to reflect on these and other emerging issues from the immense umbrella of sustainability, in an attempt to identify opportunities and solutions that integrate journalism in the fight against the information chaos that the media landscape has become and restore its role as the most faithful guardian of democratic systems. 

Topics:

  • Innovation in journalism: theories and practices;
  • Ethical and deontological challenges of journalism;
  • Slow Journalism or in-depth journalism;
  • Freedom of the press and democracy;
  • How to sustain journalism? – Between the market and the State;
  • Specialty journalism;
  • Investigative journalism;
  • Social and emotional impact of journalism;
  • Artificial Intelligence at the service of journalism.

The UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media and Information Literacy and Citizenship at the School of Communication and Media Studies (ESCS), part of the Polytechnic University of Lisbon (IPL), is organizing a parallel session as part of the International Conference The (Un)Sustainability of the Media

In line with the mission of the UNESCO Chair to promote critical media understanding, citizens’s empowerment, and the creation of an ethical and democratic communication environment, this parallel session invites submissions that explore the intersection between media sustainability, media literacy, and citizenship. Given the central role of digital media and new technologies in contemporary society—and considering that 2025 has been designated the European Year of Education for Digital Citizenship—papers may include, whenever relevant, an intersection with these themes. Proposals that systematize insights for the future are particularly valued.

Topics of Interest (including but not limited to):

  • The role of media literacy in combating disinformation and promoting quality journalism;
  • Strategies to strengthen public trust in the media;
  • The impact of new technologies on media sustainability and civic participation;
  • The role of artificial intelligence in the content and methodologies of media literacy programs;
  • Media literacy as a tool for social inclusion and for strengthening the civic and media competencies of vulnerable audiences;
  • Promotion of lifelong media literacy;
  • Ethics and responsibility in the media in the digital age;
  • Public policies to promote media literacy and media sustainability;
  • Case studies on media literacy and media sustainability initiatives;
  • The role of media education in shaping critical and informed citizens;
  • Media literacy and audience engagement in the training curricula of communication professionals;
  • International and/or cross-border projects (or international cooperation initiatives) on media literacy and citizen engagement with the media;
  • Environmental and economic sustainability in the media: internal practices and published content;
  • Contributions from other fields of scientific knowledge to media literacy and media sustainability;
  • Alignment between strategies for promoting media literacy and media sustainability with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For more information about the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media and Information Literacy and Citizenship, please visit: https://catedraunesco.escs.ipl.pt/en/ 

The growing adoption of digital platforms by consumers has been reshaping branding strategies and the advertising ecosystem. As traditional media lose relevance in the ways brands communicate with their target audiences, digital platforms have emerged as key players, capturing advertising revenue and acting as privileged intermediaries in the relationship between brands and consumers. This landscape—complex, constantly evolving, and marked by fragmentation, ephemeral content, hyperstimulation ,and intense competition for the attention of consumers, who increasingly seek personalized experiences—poses significant challenges for brands and advertising, with direct implications for the (un)sustainability of the media.

This parallel session invites submissions of papers that explore the following topics, among others:

  • The role of brands and advertising in the (un)sustainability of the media;
  • The impact of digitalization on advertising and branding strategies;
  • The reconfiguration of consumer journeys and the strategic challenges for brands;
  • Media fragmentation and the evolving relationship between brands and consumers;
  • Social media and the transformation of consumption dynamics;
  • The use and impact of artificial intelligence on branding, advertising, and consumption;
  • Consumer experience: challenges and opportunities for brands;
  • Communication and branding in the era of disinformation and fake news;
  • The attention economy, the culture of immediacy, hyperstimulation, and their constraints and challenges for brands and advertising;
  • Ethical challenges in digital advertising;
  • The education and training of advertisers and marketers in the age of media (un)sustainability;
  • New forms of media monetization and the role of brands in the sustainability of information.

Public Communication Campaigns can today be primarily understood as Communication for Social and Behavioral Change, or as Communication in the Public Interest. In this sense, these campaigns can play a vital role in building more informed, participatory, and resilient societies. In a media ecosystem marked by information overload and the spread of disinformation, Public Communication Campaigns take on a strategic role in changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.

Whether aimed at promoting media literacy, combating disinformation, or managing infodemia, or focused on raising awareness and empowering citizens to critically engage with media and to understand the role of different actors in the content production and dissemination ecosystem—or even fostering collective awareness on issues of public concern—, these campaigns mobilize resources and bring together organizations from various sectors and fields of activity to inform, raise awareness, and influence attitudes and behaviors at both individual and collective levels.

This session welcomes submissions that explore the role of Public Communication Campaigns or Communication in the Public Interest as strategies for engagement and social change. We especially welcome papers that analyze:

  • The impact of Public Communication Campaigns in combating infodemia and/or disinformation;
  • The role of Public Relations in the design and implementation of Communication in the Public Interest campaigns;
  • The relationship between traditional media and digital platforms in Communication for Social and Behavioral Change;
  • The role of algorithms and digital ecosystems in Public Communication Campaigns;
  • The use of artificial intelligence, automation, and personalization in Communication in the Public Interest;
  • Case studies and best practices in national and international Communication of Public Interest campaigns;
  • Ethical, social, political, and cultural challenges faced in the design, implementation, and evaluation of Communication in the Public Interest campaigns;
  • The role of digital media in enabling quicker mobilization and adaptability when addressing social issues;
  • Innovative approaches to Communication in the Public Interest, such as presenting the climate crisis as a public health concern to broader audiences or facilitating dialogues behind the scenes of geopolitical conflicts.

This session proposes a space for critical reflection and knowledge exchange on the potential and limitations of Public Communication Campaigns and Communication in the Public Interest in building more sustainable, informed, and inclusive societies.

The history of communication professions and professionals has always been a history of crises: from state censorship to financial constraints, including constant technological, labor, legal-regulatory or ethical-deontological challenges. At a time when the rapid pace of technological change is creating new occupational categories, some without a defined name, the classification of communications professionals into “journalists”, “public relations professionals” and “advertisers” seems increasingly obsolete. In this context, it is particularly important to investigate, from a temporal perspective, the processes of professionalization and deprofessionalization in the field of ​​communication, acknowledging the continuity of problems such as the recognition and legitimization of autonomous spaces, of domains of sharing and differentiation.

This session welcomes papers on the history of communication professions or professionals that reflect, among other aspects, on professional autonomy, regulation, as well as ethics and deontology. In short, studies in the field of ​​communication that help to discuss the place of old and new communication professionals in the reconfiguration of the public sphere(s) in contemporary times.

Original works that address, among others, the following topics will be welcome:

  • Memory and professional trajectories;
  • Professionalization and deprofessionalization of communication professions;
  • New occupations and reconfiguration of the professional field;
  • Relationship between professional recognition, legal framework and institutional control dynamics;
  • Effects of precariousness, digitalization and corporate restructuring on professional statutes;
  • Ethics, deontology and professional responsibility;
  • Communication professions and public sphere(s).

Important dates and deadlines

  • Ongoing: Abstract submission.
  • June 20, 2025: Deadline for abstract submission.
  • July 18, 2025: Notification to authors of the results of submissions.
  • July 21, 2025: Opening of registration for the conference (Participants with accepted Communication).
  • September 26, 2025: Deadline for registration and payment (Participants with accepted Communication).
  • November 14, 2025: Deadline for registration (Participants without Communication).
  • November 21, 2025: Opening of the call for papers for Comunicação Pública Journal – THEMATIC DOSSIER: “The (un)Sustainability of the Media”.
  • April 10, 2026: Deadline for final paper submission to Comunicação Pública Journal.

Participation

Registration:

  • Participants with accepted Communication: €50
  • Participants without Communication: Free of charge

Participation forms:

Payment details – Bank transfer (Only for Participants with accepted Communication):

  • Coming soon

Submission guidelines:

  • Abstract: Maximum of 300 words, indicating the context, objective(s), methodology, main results and conclusions of the work.
  • Keywords: 3 to 5 keywords.
  • Languages: Abstracts in Portuguese, English and Spanish are accepted.
  • Format: Anonymous abstract in PDF format, up to 10 MB.

Information on issuing certificates:

  • Communication certificates will only be awarded to authors of communications registered for the event.
  • Certificates of participation will be delivered on the day of the event, only to participants registered through the Conference Registration Form.

Possibility of publishing the final article in the Comunicação Pública Journal – THEMATIC DOSSIER: “The (un)Sustainability of the Media”:

  • Only papers from authors who presented a Communication at the I LIACOM International Conference will be accepted for peer review.
  • Author Guidelines: https://journals.ipl.pt/cpublica/about/submissions
  • All articles submitted to the Comunicação Pública Journal are subject to the journal’s review rules: https://journals.ipl.pt/cpublica/about
  • Only articles accepted by the journal’s reviewers after the peer review process will be published.

Committees

Scientific Committee

Ana Cristina Antunes (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Ana Raposo (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Ana Teresa Machado (ESCS-IPL, LIACOM)
Carles Pontes Sorribes (UPF; POLCOM-GRP)
Catarina Burnay (FCH-Católica; CECC)
Denis Porto Renó (UNESP; LIACOM)
Fátima Lopes Cardoso (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Fernanda Bonacho (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Filipe Montargil (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Graziela Mello Vianna (Fafich-UFMG)
Ingerid Salvesen (SAM-OsloMet)
Ivone Ferreira (FCSH-UNL; ICNOVA)
João Abreu (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Joaquim Paulo Serra (UBI; LabCom)
Jorge Souto (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Jorge Trindade (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Jorge Veríssimo (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
José Cavaleiro Rodrigues (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Júlia Leitão de Barros (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Luís Bonixe (ESECS-IPP)
Margarida Kunsch (ECA-USP; Cecorp)
Maria João Centeno (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Maria José Brites (Universidade Lusófona; CICANT)
Maria José Mata (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Maria Teresa Pellicer Jorda (FCD-UGR)
Mark Deuze (FoH-UVA)
Nicole d’Almeida (CELSA – Sorbonne Université)
Paula Nobre (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Paulo Cardoso (IPAM Porto)
Pedro Marques Gomes (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Sandra Miranda (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Tatiana Nunes (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Teresa Ruão (ICS-UMinho; CECS)
Zélia Santos (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)

Organizing Committee

Alexandra Miguel (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Ana Cristina Antunes (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Ana Raposo (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Fátima Lopes Cardoso (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Fernanda Bonacho (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Filipa Subtil (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Guilherme Oliveira (ESCS-IPL)
Hadassa Oliveira (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
João Abreu (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Jorge Souto (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Jorge Trindade (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
José Cavaleiro (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Jorge Veríssimo (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Maria João Centeno (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Maria José Mata (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Nuno Palma (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Pedro Marques Gomes (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Ricardo Pereira Rodrigues (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Sandra Miranda (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Tatiana Nunes (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)
Zélia Santos (ESCS-IPL; LIACOM)