Complexity theory provides a framework for understanding intricate systems and their interactions. Its use in media and communication is relatively recent and has been used for examining, for instance, the spread of online communication, the formation of public opinions and the development of misinformation. Building on the concept of VUCA, this article outlines the emerging field of ‘complexity communication’. In a light-hearted experiment, we turned to the lately introduced artificial intelligence (AI) agent, ChatGPT, to ask what it knew about complexity thinking in contemporary communication practice. We found that the AI accepted the global environment was characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, and these had transformed the field of communication, both for academics and professionals. It identified a range of complexity-based concepts relevant to communication but not specifically designed for communication situations. It struggled to find any extant practical strategies for complexity communication. This relative lack of bespoke concepts and applied knowledge on managing unpredictable situations indicates an urgent need for the development of complexity thinking in communication.
In this first editorial for the Pacific Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, PJTEL, the lead editors reflect upon the first three years of the journal and explore the impact statistics. We also explore future directions and themes for the journal particularly in light of the impact of COVID19 on education.
In times of heightened global uncertainties, media professionals, journalists and public communicators have been left with little or no guidance as to how to manage and communicate unprecedented events. Despite a wide recognition that contemporary life and media worlds have become increasingly complex, associated communication strategies for dealing with confusion and moving through turbulence have not kept pace. This Special Issue of the Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies (JAMS) revisits the almost forty-year-old acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) and investigates how present experiences of chaos may benefit from the systems-thinking approaches of VUCA. The Special Issue seeks to make an argument for further development of VUCA models addressing the paucity of tools in existing chaos and complexity in communication strategies.
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