The Nordic Center for Internet and Society members Christoph Lutz, Nhi Do and Yunhao (Mattew) Xiao presented their research at the International Communication Association (ICA) Annual Conference, held in in Cape Town, from 4-8 June 2026
The 76th International Communication Association Conference took place in Cape Town, making it the first ICA conference ever held on the African continent. This year’s theme “Communication and Inequalities in Context” invited researchers to reflect on how communication both shapes and reflects inequalities across societies and technologies. The five-day event brings together around 3000 researchers from across the world.
Matthew (Yunhao) Xiao opened the Nordic Centre’s contributions. He had the opportunity to present two of his research projects. First, “Drivers and Barriers of Digital Nomadism: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Chinese and American Perspectives”. Co-authored with his supervisor Christoph, this study explores individuals‘ decision-making processes behind becoming digital nomads. Second, “Re-Anchoring Liquid Modernity Through Co-living Spaces: Socio-Material Ecologies in Global Digital Nomad Hubs”. This paper investigates co-living spaces across different socio-cultural contexts to understand how these infrastructures integrate digital nomads into host societies.
Matthew summarizes his experiences as follows: “In retrospect, what really stuck with me wasn't the sessions, but the people. I walked away knowing I'm on the right path, surrounded by great minds, and definitely not alone.”
NCIS member Nhi presented her current research project “Agents of Inclusion? A Scoping Review of Ethno-Racial Minorities’ Experiences With Conversational Agents”, co-authored with NICS members Suzanne van Gils and Christoph.
One of the highlights for Nhi was to “Get a panoramic view of the discourse (& the city).”
NCIS member Christoph presented “AI Overreliance in Daily Life and Work: Contexts, Causes and Consequences”, co-authored with Gemma Newlands, Aurelia Tamò-Larrieux and Shubin Yu, in the session “MIAU-lti-Context Reliance: Daily AI Use, Platform Publicness and Tethered Lives”. He also chaired the session “The Mechanical Doctor: Co-Constructing Design, Interaction, and Repair” in the afternoon and shared his paper “Between Fairness and Resignation: Examining Machine Heuristics, Privacy Cynicism and Self-Disclosure in Generative AI” (co-authored with Fan Liang) in the session “The Role of Machine Heuristic in HMC”. Christoph also contributed to the paper “Anthropomorphizing AI: Perceptions, Interpretations, and the Humanization of Generative AI” (led by Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi and colleagues) in the session “Anthropomorphize Me! Or Not?” He rounded off the NCIS’ program by chairing the session “The Support Machine”.
Christoph sums up his experiences this year as follows: “ICA continues to be one of the highlights of my academic year. Presenting new research, receiving thoughtful feedback, and reconnecting with colleagues from around the world always leaves me inspired with new ideas and collaborations.“
The ICA Annual Conference is an important event not only for presenting research, but also for networking and community building. The conference provided the Nordic Centre with many valuable discussions, conversations and new connections to bring back to Oslo. Next year’s ICA Conference will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 3-7 June 2027.
