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Preview: Our Team at ICA26 in Cape Town

The 76th annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, from June 4 to June 8, 2026, and members of our team will be attending on site, presenting current research.

This year’s conference is held under the theme “Communication and Inequalities in Context”. The ICA is the largest international scholarly association for communication research, covering the full breadth of the field through its divisions and interest groups.

Our team will be contributing with a range of presentations covering topics such as political communication on TikTok, patchwork spiritual online communities, the field of social scientific game studies, and an online experiment on news journalism. The contributions span different formats and sessions throughout the programme.

A full list of our presentations, including titles and session details, can be found here:

  • The Rhythm of Resonance: Tracing Temporal Actor Dynamics and Impulse Shocks of Public Attention in Polarized Discourses Around Science.
    Johanna Klapproth; C. Tenove; H. Azarpanah; C. Guyn; H. Tworek; Thorsten Quandt
    Pre-Conference: The “Dark Side” of Social Conversations Around Science: Contemporary Challenges and Potential Solutions for Science Communication. Tue, June 02. Off-site: Adam Small Theatre, Stellenbosch University
  • Beyond the Ballot: A Comparative Cross-national Analysis of Political Communication on TikTok in 27 European Countries.
    Johanna Klapproth; Saïd Unger; Thorsten Quandt
    All About TikTok. Fri, June 05, 9 AM. 1.64, CTICC1, Lev 1.
  • Transnational Far-right Populism on TikTok: Comparative Analysis in Brazil and Germany.
    Bruna Távora; Sofie Beisemann; Johanna Klapproth; Svenja Boberg; Luiz H. de Andrade Ranzani; Thorsten Quandt
    Contesting Political Meaning. Fri, June 05, 9 AM. CTICC2, Lev 2.
  • Mapping the Field of Social Scientific Game Studies: A Computational Approach.
    Felix Reer; Saïd Unger; Thorsten Quandt
    Game Studies Poster Session. Sun, June 07, 1.30 PM. Hall 2, CTICC1, Ground Level.
  • Exploring Patchwork Spiritual Online Groups: Proposal for a Research Agenda.
    Anna Davydova; Saïd Unger; Thorsten Quandt
    Global Perspectives on Social and Digital Media. Mon, June 08, 12 PM. Westin Ballroom West.
  • When Time Is Ticking, Are Readers Clicking? Exploring the Effects of Displaying Temporal Cues in Online News Article Previews
    Lars-Ole Wehden; Lena M. Küpper; Felix Reer
    Journalistic Expertise and Changing Reportorial Norms. Mon, June 08, 12 PM. Watsonia, CTICC2, Lev 3.

If you are in Cape Town, we would be happy to see you there and connect in person!