The 74th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) recently unveiled its 2024 conference program. Among the notable papers featured was Combating Addictive Use of TikTok with Digital Nudging, lead-authored by J-school PhD candidate Jingshi Kang, which was honored as the Top Paper for the ICA Communication and Technology Division in 2024. Garnering a commendable score of 4.54/5 in the double-blind peer review process, this achievement underscores a significant breakthrough by our graduate students at a premier international conference.
Guided by the Digital Nudging Theory, the team developed and tested a third-party app with two new play modes—delayed play (3s countdown) and manual-play (pause button)—to prevent users from infinitely scrolling through their TikTok feeds, in a lab experiment. The research found that delayed play is more effective, manual play promotes more interactions, with both resulting in more attention to the videos. The study has theoretical implications for combating the rise of machine agency and practical implications for socially responsible design.
Under the mentorship of Professor Sun Shaojing, Miss Kang Jingshi is actively engaged in social and intelligent media research at Fudan J-school. In 2022, She embarked on a year-long research study at the Media Effects Research Lab at Pennsylvania State University, where the groundwork for the award-winning paper was laid.
ICA represents the largest and most influential top-tier conference in the field of media and communication studies. The theme for 2024 annual conference is Communication and Global Human Rights. Scheduled to take place from June 20th to 24th on the Gold Coast of Australia, the event anticipates over 4,000 researchers from more than 80 countries, with a diverse program featuring over 400 offline and 200 hybrid interactive sessions. The Communication and Technology Division stands out as one of the most competitive divisions within ICA, having received over 700 full paper submissions and more than 800 extended abstract and poster submissions at the 73rd ICA Annual Conference held in Toronto last year.
In recent years, Fudan J-school has been actively encouraging student participation in international conferences to enhance international influence and promote academic exchange. We provide travel grants for J-school students to attend esteemed conferences such as the annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), the National Communication Association (NCA), the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR), and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).
