[Commlist] Conference CFP: Big Tech and Global Influence 2025

*IAMCR 2025 pre-conference

* Big Tech and Global Influence: Rethinking CSR, Soft Power, and 
Strategic Communication in a Digital World


Date: 12 July, 2025

Place: Singapore Management University (SMU)

Link: https://iamcr.org/singapore2025/big-tech 
<https://iamcr.org/singapore2025/big-tech>

Deadline for Abstract: 30 April, 2025


Description

In the digital age, Big Tech companies have emerged as powerful global 
players, influencing not only technological innovation but also 
politics, business, culture, and societal values. Their platforms and 
technologies are now central to economies, governance, and public life, 
redefining global power dynamics. As active social actors, these 
companies leverage soft power through tools, narratives, and platforms 
to influence public opinion, cultural flows, and global perceptions. By 
positioning them- selves as drivers of innovation, inclusivity, and 
environmental sustainability, Big Tech navigates strategic communication 
to build legitimacy across diverse geopolitical and social contexts.


However, this growing influence raises critical questions about their 
corporate social responsibilities (CSR), particularly in addressing 
global challenges like environmental sustainability, misinformation, and 
algorithmic bias. With increasing demands for accountability and 
transparency, their actions—or inaction—carry profound consequences for 
political stability, international relations, and public trust.




This preconference examines the interplay between technology, corporate 
power, societal responsibility, and strategic communication, aligning 
with IAMCR 2025’s focus on diversity in sustainability campaigns. By 
bridging theoretical exploration with practical insights from big techs 
like Tencent, the event fosters interdisciplinary dialogue between 
academics and industry leaders, enriching IAMCR’s commitment to 
addressing complex global challenges at the intersection of 
communication, technology, and society.


Topics include but are not limited to:


1. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in a Globalized Tech Landscape

  * What are the emerging trends and best practices in CSR initiatives
    from tech companies that harness the power of technology and 
innovation?
  * How do Big Techs balance their dual imperatives of technological
    innovation for the public good and their profit-driven objectives,
    so as to integrate CSR meaningfully into their organizational
    culture, core business models, and decision-making processes?
  * How can Big Tech leverage their vast resources and influence to
    address global challenges such as sustainability, social equity,
    misinformation, and algorithmic biases and promote positive social
    and environmental change at a global scale?

2. Soft Power and the Geopolitics of Big Tech

  * How do Big Tech corporations function as geopolitical actors,
    leveraging soft power through cultural flows, public opinion, and
    global perceptions?
  * How does Big Tech’s exercise of visible and invisible soft power
    impact global governance, international cooperation, and cultural
    exchange?
  * How do global audiences, policymakers, and societies respond to the
    rise of Big Tech as key geopolitical and cultural actors? And how do
    they mediate, challenge, or reinforce the societal impact of 
technology?

3. Strategic Communication in the Digital Era

  * What strategic communication practices and emerging technologies
    (e.g., AI-driven messaging, virtual reality) enable Big Tech to
    build and sustain legitimacy, trust, and influence by reshaping
    stakeholder engagement and tailoring strategic messaging across
    diverse cultural contexts?
  * How are techno-solutionism and new AI technologies marketed, and
    what role do these narratives play in shaping public and policymaker
    perceptions, both when addressing and overlooking underlying
    systemic problems?
  * What frameworks and policies are necessary to hold Big Tech
    accountable for their environmental and societal impact across
    diverse regions and cultures?


Detailed CFP & Abstract Submission: https://easychair.org/cfp/BTGI2025 
<https://easychair.org/cfp/BTGI2025>

There is no registration fee.


Organisers

•Zhan Zhang, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China.

•Rong Wang, Vanderbilt University, the United States.

•Anilesh Kumar, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University 
United International College, China.

•Deqiang Ji, Communication University of China, China.

•Gisela Gonçalves, University of Beira Interior, Portugal.

•Abena A. Yeboah-Banin, University of Ghana, Ghana.


Contact: (bigtechpreconference /at/ gmail.com)



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