Mahindra University’s School of Digital Media and Communication, in collaboration with the International Communication Association (ICA) Regional Chapter, India, is set to host the inaugural edition of its international media and communication conference on 21st and 22nd November 2025 in Hyderabad. The theme of the two-day event is ‘Human and Digital Mutualism: Code, Culture and Communication.’
Shashidhar Nanjundaiah, Conference chair and Dean of School of Digital Media and Communication at Mahindra University says “Machines are now designed to learn from human experiences and we from them. Mutualism signifies this symbiotic relationship of mutual learning, mutual amplification, and mutual gain. But mutualism is also quickly becoming the ecosystem in which we are asked to live. More than 20 nationally and internationally reputed scholars and industry leaders will help us unpack this complex reality and its future, while a carefully selected triple-peer-reviewed set of 29 research presentations and documentary films will parse and explore its many applications. We are proud to partner with the India chapter of the world’s premier association of communication academics.”
Key highlights of the conference include a competitive documentary film showcase and an industry panel comprised of leaders from new-tech majors such as Google, IBM and Tech Mahindra, as well as those from Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, LTI Mindtree and Washington-based Center for News Technology and Innovation.
Reputed academics from India and the USA will address the audience. These include Noshir Contractor, Jane S. & William J. White Professor at Northwestern University, USA and former President of ICA and Sanjay Bharthur, Professor at Manipal Institute of Communication and former Pro Vice-Chancellor of University of Hyderabad.
Other plenary speakers and panellists include top academics and researchers from India and USA such as Carnegie Mellon University, Michigan State University, Temple University, University of Hartford, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Jamia Millia Islamia and Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication.
“Mahindra University is collaborating with the ICA India Chapter, an offshoot of the International Communication Association’s (ICA) global outreach and regional collaborative initiative that is aimed at strengthening the diverse and plural discourses at national and regional levels. The scholars drawn from academia, professionals and industry is expected to interrogate how digital systems are embedded within long civilisational trajectories; how they reshape social relations and public institutions; and how a mutually reinforcing human–digital ecosystem might evolve in ways that are inclusive, ethical, and culturally grounded.” said Sanjay Bharthur, lead of the partnering ICA India chapter and Senior Professor at Manipal Institute of Communication.
The conference aims to foster a deeper dialogue on designing equitable, ethical, and human-centred digital futures as artificial intelligence, machine learning and data-driven media ecosystems are increasingly shaping social, cultural, and cognitive worlds. With communication systems mediating trust, identity, and power in a digital-first society, the conference will explore how code shapes culture and how culture, in turn, shapes code, especially in diverse contexts.
