Glossary

Social and cultural practices that are shaped by algorithms, such as recommendation systems on platforms.

The rules and decision processes built into algorithms that shape what content is shown or prioritized.

A branch of linguistics that uses ideas from cognitive science to understand and support language learning and use.

Looking at both who a paper cites and who later cites that paper, to follow conversations through the literature.

Groups and organizations outside government and business, such as community groups and NGOs, that take part in public life.

Teaching approaches that draw on cognitive science to explain how people learn and process language.

The idea that culture is constantly created and negotiated through social interaction, rather than fixed or given.

A large, organized collection of texts or data that researchers analyze to find patterns.

The idea that all groups should have equal opportunities to create, share, and access cultural expression.

Cultures, practices, and communities that develop in and around digital networks and online spaces.

The virtual environment created by interconnected computers, networks, and digital communication.

Turning aspects of everyday life into data that can be collected, analyzed, and used for decision-making.

The weakening of ties between culture and a specific geographic place, often through migration and digital media.

Groups of people who live outside their ancestral homeland but maintain connections to it.

The period in which digital technologies are central to communication, work, and everyday life.

Shared meanings, practices, and values that arise around digital technologies and online life.

The underlying hardware, software, networks, and platforms that support digital communication and services.

Content that is created, stored, and shared in digital form, such as websites, videos, and social media posts.

Online services that host and organize user activity, such as social media sites, streaming services, or learning platforms.

The large-scale social and economic changes brought about by the spread of digital technologies.

In digital communication, disembodiment refers to the way online interaction can loosen the link between our physical bodies and how we present ourselves. Many cues tied to the body (such as appearance, accent, or physical location) may be hidden, altered, or re-imagined in online spaces, which can both open up new possibilities for identity and interaction and raise questions about power, visibility, and exclusion.

A study that is based on collecting and analyzing data from observations, experiences, or experiments.

The different ways groups or disciplines create and justify knowledge.

A speaker’s or writer’s position about knowledge, such as how certain, doubtful, or open they are about a claim.

A study that tests the effect of one or more variables by deliberately changing something and comparing outcomes across groups.

A proposed era in which everyday communication is strongly shaped by AI models that filter, generate, or transform messages.

AI systems that can create new content such as text, images, or audio based on patterns learned from data.

Confident but incorrect or invented outputs produced by AI language models.

Unspoken norms, expectations, and power relations that shape how people experience online courses or platforms.

Communication flows where many people can share and receive information at the same time, rather than information moving top-down in sequence.

Cultural practices or products that mix elements from different cultural traditions.

Text or media types that combine features of several established genres, such as a vlog that is part diary, part tutorial.

Linked digital content that can include text, images, audio, and video.

Non-linear digital text that is connected by hyperlinks, allowing readers to jump between sections or documents.

Digital tools and systems used to handle information and support communication, such as computers, networks, and mobile devices.

Communication between people from different cultural backgrounds, where cultural differences may affect meaning.

Learning that involves comparing or engaging with different cultural perspectives, practices, or experiences.

The academic study of journalism, news production, and their role in society.

A society in which knowledge creation, access, and use are central to economic and social life.

A type of AI system trained on large amounts of text to generate and interpret human-like language.

Adapting technologies, interfaces, or content to fit the language and cultural norms of a specific place or group.

The practical activities of adapting content or tools for local languages, cultures, and conditions.

A study that collects data from the same participants or settings over an extended period of time.

The shared practices, values, and meanings that arise around media industries and media use.

An academic field that examines media technologies, industries, texts, and audiences.

A method that traces people’s media use over time to understand their media habits and meanings.

The global flows of media images and narratives that people draw on to make sense of the world.

A social environment in which media are deeply woven into how culture is produced and experienced.

The built-in settings and behaviors of an AI model that shape what it tends to produce unless users adjust it.

Communication in which AI models help filter, translate, summarize, or generate messages between people.

Communication that uses several modes at once, such as language, images, sound, and layout.

The different types of meaning-making tools, such as images, gestures, or sound, used together in communication.

Value-based; concerned with what should happen or what is judged right or wrong, rather than simply describing what exists.

A culture in which people not only consume media but also actively create, share, and remix it.

Platforms that invite users to actively contribute content, comments, or creative work.

What a platform makes easy or hard to do, based on its design and features.

The explicit and implicit rules, expectations, and conventions that govern acceptable behaviour, interactions, and content sharing within a specific digital platform.

Distinctive styles, norms, and ways of speaking or posting that develop on particular platforms.

The study of how economic interests and power relations shape media, technologies, networks and AI systems.

National pride and identity expressed through everyday culture and media, not just official politics.

A phase in which economies rely heavily on information, services, and digital technologies rather than manufacturing.

State-supported institutions and programs that fund or provide cultural activities, such as museums and arts councils.

A way of describing the era when the web and early online communities became widespread, after initial experiments with networking.

The different sign systems (such as language, images, sound, or layout) people use to make meaning.

The study of how language use varies across social groups and situations.

A view of the world that recognizes social and technical elements as deeply intertwined.

A high level of diversity where many different variables (such as language, migration history, and legal status) intersect.

Monitoring people’s activities and data, often by states or companies, to track behaviour or manage risks.

Cultural products, such as books or films, whose value lies largely in their meanings rather than physical properties.

Language learning supported by digital tools such as apps, platforms, or online resources.

A suggested era marked by social media platforms, smartphones, and highly commercialized online spaces.

A conceptual space where cultures meet and new, hybrid identities and meanings can emerge.

Communication that moves across and mixes cultural boundaries, not just between two fixed cultures.

The ability to navigate, understand, and act effectively across multiple cultural contexts.

Processes through which cultural practices and ideas circulate, mix, and change across contexts.

Flexible language use in which speakers draw on all their linguistic resources rather than keeping languages separate.

Points of contact in digital spaces where people from different cultures interact.

Online platforms designed to support teaching and learning, often with tools for content, communication, and assessment.