IfK Researchers to Present at the 11th European Communication Conference in Brno
(04.09.2026) The 11th European Communication Conference (ECC) of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) will take place from September 8 to 11, 2026, in Brno, Czech Republic. Under the theme “Shifting Grounds: Paths, Connections, and Futures,” the international conference brings together communication and media scholars from Europe and beyond. Researchers from the IfK will also be presenting several papers at the conference.
With its theme, the ECC 2026 addresses the social, political, and technological upheavals that are increasingly shaping media and communication. The central question is what contribution communication studies can make in the face of global challenges such as climate change, geopolitical conflicts, social polarization, digital transformation, and democratic setbacks. In particular, the conference focuses on the decisions, connections, and future prospects that are crucial for the further development of the discipline and its social relevance.
The conference is organized by ECREA and hosted by Masaryk University in Brno. In addition to plenary sessions and keynote addresses, the program includes numerous parallel sessions and poster sessions covering various areas of communication and media studies. Contributions involving researchers from the IfK include:
Wednesday, September 9
The Body of Body Image Research: A Computational Topic Analysis (1980–2025)
Lena Maria Küpper, M. Saïd H. Unger, Thorsten Quandt
Fragile flows of attention: Temporal dynamics of political issue competition on TikTok across 27 European countries
Jana Johanna Klapproth, M. Saïd H. Unger, Thorsten Quandt
Platform-specific patterns of deceptive content exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative analysis of social media users.
Lena Zils, Florian Wintterlin, Julia Metag
What happens after the storm? Exploring the long-term impact of hashtag activism on social issue careers for sexual abuse (#MeToo), climate change (#FridaysForFuture), and racism (#BlackLivesMatter): A ten-year time-series analysis
Sofie Beisemann, Svenja Boberg, M. Saïd H. Unger, Thorsten Quandt
Thursday, September 10
Marginalizing Migrants and Framing the Problems – Migration Coverage in German Online Newspapers Between 2015 and 2025
including Kira Klinger
Introducing “AI Infrastructures and Sustainability” and “The Politics of Place”
including Anne Mollen, Sigrid Kannengießer
The Agency of Industry Elites in Media Policy Processes
including Thorsten Quandt
Mapping Esotericism in German News Media Using Structural Topic Modeling
Anna Davydova
Disordered Social Media Use and Eating Disorders: A Survey Study on the Role of Self-Objectification and Body Appreciation
Lena Maria Küpper, Felix Reer
Friday, September 11
Weight Loss Drugs and Off-Label Use in the Digital Discourse: A Survey Study on Social Media Engagement, Perceptions, and Health Attitudes
Lena Maria Küpper, Lars-Ole Wehden, Felix Reer
Fading footprints: A multi-platform comparison of what social media keeps and deletes over five years
Katharina Maubach, Jakob Jünger, Johanna Stahl, Annabell Jendrilek
Where topics take off: Tracing temporal impulse dynamics in cross-platform crisis communication
Jana Johanna Klapproth, M. Saïd H. Unger, Thorsten Quandt
Green message, dark intent: Conceptualizing far-right greenwashing as dark participation.
including Sofie Beisemann, Jana Johanna Klapproth, Svenja Boberg, Bruna Távora, Thorsten Quandt
Who avoids science? Investigating patterns of science-related information avoidance
Julia Metag
Sustainable science communication: Theoretical foundations, ethical perspectives, and practical implications
Pamela Nölleke-Przybylski, Sigrid Kannengießer, Julia Metag
The European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) was founded in 2005 during the first European Communication Conference in Amsterdam and emerged from the merger of the European Communication Association (ECA) and the European Consortium for Communications Research (ECCR). As an academic association, ECREA promotes communication research and education in Europe and, through its thematic sections, networks, and working groups, offers various platforms for professional and international exchange.
The complete program for ECC 2026 is available on the following website: https://ecrea2026brno.eu/
Contact person public relations:
Dr. Stephan Völlmicke
Telefon: +49 251 83-23006
Telefax: +49 251 83-21310 (Geschäftszimmer IfK)