[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
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
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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