6th International Media and Society Symposium
"Transformations of Reality in the Post-Truth Era"

May 14–15–16, 2026 | Istinye University, Istanbul (Hybrid Format)

The Faculty of Communication at Istinye University is pleased to announce the 6th International Media and Society Symposium (MASS 2026), to be held on May 14-15-16, 2026, under the main theme “Post-Truth.” The event will feature academic sessions, exhibitions, and workshops in a hybrid format (online and on-site). Researchers conducting original theoretical or applied studies, as well as practitioners and artists producing creative works through digital technologies, are invited to share their latest projects and perspectives at the symposium.

Reality, Media, and Culture in the Post-Truth Era

Since the second decade of the 21st century, the notion of “reality” has undergone a profound transformation driven by digital technologies, algorithmic filters, and AI-assisted production tools. In this post-truth era, information circulates not through verification processes but through emotional persuasion, giving rise to a communication regime where truth is often displaced by affect. Deepfake technologies, synthetic media, AI-generated imagery, and manipulated visuals circulating on social media have triggered a crisis of visual trust. Viewers now constantly question whether what they see can be believed. In this new reality regime, artistic, media, and communication practices are being redefined on ethical, aesthetic, and political levels.

MASS 2026 aims to explore the impacts of the “post-reality age” on media, art, and culture through an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together researchers, artists, and thinkers interested in the fragility of truth and authenticity in contemporary media ecologies.

Possible Topics
    •    Information, emotion, and manipulation in the post-truth era
    •    Deepfake technologies and the crisis of visual credibility
    •    Simulation aesthetics and hyperreality in art
    •    Post-truth journalism, propaganda, and digital ethics
    •    Belief, doubt, and the quest for authenticity in visual culture
    •    “Seeing is not believing”: Politics of perception and representation in social media
    •    Artistic dimensions of AI and synthetic image production
    •    Archives, memory, and truth in the digital age
    •    Fiction, narrative, and the blurring of reality in art
    •    Post-truth aesthetics in new media art

The 6th International Media and Society Symposium is also open to researchers wishing to present their work under the theme of Anti-Algorithm. In today's digital age, algorithms have become the invisible rule-makers of daily life, dictating everything from what we watch to what we like. This algorithmic order, extending from social media feeds to music recommendations, from news selection to artistic production forms, often pushes individual creativity into the shadow of statistical predictions. The “Anti-Algorithm” exhibition proposes an aesthetic resistance against this invisible power. While questioning the boundaries of the algorithm-driven digital culture, artists are developing a new language of expression by focusing on elements unique to human experience, such as randomness, intuition, and error.

This exhibition was designed as an emotional, intuitive, and political counter-production against the cold calculations of machine logic. “Anti-Algorithm” argues that art can be produced not only with technological tools but also with critical awareness. It invites visitors to experience the aesthetics of the “unpredictable” by going beyond data-driven reality. Thus, it brings the quest for humanity to reclaim its subjectivity in an age shaped by algorithms into both an artistic and intellectual arena of discussion.

Full Text Publication Opportunities:

• Full Text Proceedings E-Book Publication with ISBN.

• Editorial Thematic Book Section publication from Holistance Academy Publishing House. (International Publishing House)

• Full papers that complete the peer-review and editorial process will be eligible for publication as articles in the following five journals.

-     JOURNAL OF ARTS (Publication fee required)
 https://journals.gen.tr/index.php/arts

-     JOURNAL OF AWARENESS (Publication fee required)
 https://journals.gen.tr/index.php/joa

-     JOURNAL OF ORIGINAL STUDIES (Publication fee required)
 https://journals.gen.tr/index.php/jos

-    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART, CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION (Near East University, Faculty of Communication)
 https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ijacc

-     COMMUNICATION PAPERS (University of Girona)
 https://www.communicationpapers.com/

Participation and Submission Guidelines:
    •    Participants must submit an abstract of up to 300 words (in Turkish or English) and a short biography (100 words).
    •    Abstracts should include aim, methodology, findings, and discussion sections.
    •    At least five keywords must be provided.
    •    Abstracts should not exceed 300 words, excluding the title and author name.
    •    Abstracts must be written in both Turkish and English.

Important Dates:
Deadline for abstract submission: April 15, 2026
Announcement of accepted abstracts: April 20, 2026
Deadline for registration: April 30, 2026
Announcement of the program: May 10, 2026
Symposium date: 14-15-16 May, 2026
Publication of the abstract booklet on the website: May 10, 2026
Full text submission: August 22, 2026
Publication of electronic proceedings book: 10 October 2026

Registration Fees:
Registration Fee: 2000 TL
Second Paper Registration Fee: 0 TL
Registration Fee for Graduate Students: 1000 TL
Group Student registration (8 or more participants from the same university): : 800 TL
Registration Fee for Participants in the Symposium Committees: 0 TL
Participation with a paper, artwork, or workshop proposal is free of charge for Deans of Faculties of Communication, Fine Arts, and Art & Design: 0TL
Registration Fee for Istinye University, University of Girona, Near East University, Doha University of Science and Technology Academic and Administrative Staff: 0 TL
Participation is free of charge for all Deans of the Faculty of Communication, Fine Arts, Art and Design with paper presentation, artwork and workshop proposal.
Fees are charged per paper (each author may submit up to two papers).
 
Abstract Submission

Submission of Artwork

Workshop Proposal