Prof Dato’ Indera Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei, President of TAR UMT, giving the symposium launching speech.
Farah Marshita Abdul Patah (rightmost), Chairperson of National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ – NSTP) and symposium roundtable panelist. Beside her, is keynote speaker Dr Mathias-Felipe de Lima-Santos of Macquarie University, Australia.
Research presenter, Yap Yin Zi, TAR UMT’s Bachelor of Public Relations student, who is currently a communication and corporate affairs intern.
Scholars, students and educators at TAR UMT FCCI CMCR Symposium 2025.
TAR UMT’s Faculty of Communication and Creative Industries (FCCI) Centre for Media and Communication Research (CMCR), organised its fifth annual symposium on 20 - 21 February 2025, as part of the faculty’s ‘Beyond Education’ initiatives of yearly events including academic-industry forums, practitioners’ sharings and students’ campaigns.
The CMCR Symposium 2025, themed ‘Digital Media, Social Network and Artificial Intelligence: A Global Perspective’, gathered TAR UMT FCCI’s institutional partners from four foreign universities: University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Xavier University, the Philippines, Walailak University, Thailand, and Universitas 17 Agustus 1945, Indonesia, as well as budding researchers from among TAR UMT educators and students.
Prof Dato’ Indera Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei, President of TAR UMT, in his launching address, commended FCCI lecturers for their initiative titled ‘The Network on Platform and Cultural Production in Asia’, which drew together academicians across disciplines and from various countries to converge and collaborate on research activities that are crucial in this current age of digital platforms and the impact of artificial intelligence.
Farah Marshita Abdul Patah, Chairperson of the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ – NSTP) and senior journalist at Berita Harian, also a TAR UMT alumna, who was a symposium roundtable panelist, said: “Education, legislation, and mindset are key aspects that require attention when introducing AI as a tool to enhance the digital media landscape in the near future. When it comes to social media, the real power does not lie with the government or large corporations in deciding what is good or bad for users. Instead, users must recognise that they hold the power and have the ability to shape the direction and content displayed on social media.”
In addition, the two-day symposium covered the fields of Advertising, Broadcasting, Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations by providing a platform for TAR UMT’s final year students to showcase their skills in researching, writing and presenting their academic findings on various aspects of communication, media and their relations to societal issues and daily lives.
Assoc Prof Dr Tang Mui Joo, Deputy Dean of FCCI and Chairperson of the symposium committee, said: “These young presenters benefited from a platform that helps accentuate the roles and effects of communication and social media in education, industry and society, while participants got to exchange and share knowledge, practices, and ideas that they can bring into their careers after graduation.”
Yap Yin Zi, TAR UMT’s Bachelor of Public Relations student and currently a communication and corporate affairs intern, who returned to her alma mater to present her research paper, said: “This symposium offered an opportunity for us young researchers to showcase our research effort, while also practising our confidence on stage when presenting our findings to an audience.”
