Innovative Media Projects Take Center Stage at Academic Sharing Event

 

Innovative Media Projects Take Center Stage at Academic Sharing Event

by Wu Xinxin 

Translated by Lin Liuhan

As part of the “Quality Teaching Month” initiative, a high-level academic sharing event titled “Presence and Representation: Observation and Creation in Media Practice” took place on May 9 on Songjiang Campus of Shanghai International Studies University.  The event, held by School of Journalism and Communication, attracted over 40 students eager to engage with cutting-edge media research. Three groups presented their unique projects, showcasing creative approaches to media observation and analysis.

In an era where AI-generated content (AIGC) increasingly influences news media, the question of authenticity has become crucial. Jiang Keyu and her team tackled this challenge with their project titled “A Knowledge Graph-Based Method for Authenticity Detection of AIGC Media Content”.

Under the guidance of Associate Professor Wang Ting, the team developed an automated detection system that integrates knowledge graphs with structural similarity algorithms. Their goal? To address the growing issue of fake news generated by AI. Using ChatGPT-generated text as a test case, they successfully identified false content through simulation experiments. A key innovation was their focus on the problem of “category granularity”—distinguishing subtle differences within content categories.

Xu Chen, a PhD student in Global Communication, praised the project for its timely relevance and methodological innovation, suggesting that future research could expand to explore cross-category detection methods.

Shifting from media authenticity to cultural creation, Zhang Mingyue presented her study on fan fiction in the popular 2024 otome game “Love and Deepspace”. The project, titled “Creating Dreams for ‘You’: Fan Fiction Creation Practices of Otome Game Players”, delved into the world of female creators on the LOFTER platform, a popular creative platform in China.

Using semi-structured interviews and participant observation, Zhang explored how players use fan fiction to construct de-subjectivized narratives and imagined gender relationships. Her findings revealed that these stories are often driven by emotional fulfillment and identity exploration within the female community.

Xu Chen commended the study for offering a fresh perspective on youth culture and gender dynamics, while Master’s student Dong Jiaqi suggested refining the research goals and enhancing the theoretical framework.

The final presentation, led by Lu Zhiyi’s team, examined how the 2024 Paris Olympics shaped the city’s international image. Titled “Paris Olympics and Urban International Image Communication”, the project was supervised by Journalism Department Director Lin Yan and French Lecturer Cao Shuai.

The team conducted on-site investigations in Paris, focusing on the synergy between sports and culture, urban development, and public security improvements. Their efforts resulted in a comprehensive output, including street interviews, multilingual news articles, and a 20,000-word research report.

According to Xu Chen, the project stood out for its cross-cultural approach and practical data collection. He encouraged the team to increase social media engagement to enhance the project’s public visibility. Dong Jiaqi also emphasized the importance of contextual analysis and better academic writing.

The event concluded with thoughtful reflections from the guest commentators. Xu Chen appreciated the innovation and relevance of the research topics, while Dong Jiaqi encouraged the undergraduate students to develop a deeper understanding of social and technical contexts in media studies.

Some of the projects have been displayed on bulletin boards in the No.1 teaching building of the Songjiang campus, inviting the academic community to explore and discuss these creative media practices.

The event not only showcased the students’ achievements but also sparked discussions on how to navigate the rapidly evolving media landscape—highlighting the importance of critical observation, creative practice, and academic rigor in modern media studies.