The MeDeMAP project was represented at the 2026 IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research) Conference through four research contributions presented by the Czech and Italian teams.
The panel “Participation, Knowledge and Communication: An Intersection of Transformative Forces” explored the intersections between participation, knowledge and communication through both theoretical and empirical research. The panel featured six papers covering topics including stupidity, democratic fatigue, social media activism, public service media, mobile connectivity and audio production in refugee camps.
As part of the panel, Nico Carpentier and Vaia Doudaki presented “Participation, Knowledge and Stupidity: A Theoretical Reflection”, examining how different understandings of stupidity shape participation and knowledge production, drawing on reflections from the MeDeMAP Citizen Parliament.
Vaia Doudaki, Nico Carpentier and Miloš Hroch also presented “Constructions of Democracy in Participatory Deliberations: The Case of the Czech Citizen Parliament on Media and Democracy”, analysing how democracy was constructed through participation, representation and deliberation within the 2025 MeDeMAP Czech Citizen Parliament.
The Italian team contributed “Democratic Fatigue and Reflexive Participation: Education, Knowledge and Communication from Citizens’ Perspectives in Europe”, by Giulia Ferri and Andrea Miconi. The paper examined democratic fatigue as a reflexive response to perceived shortcomings of democratic systems and highlighted participation as an ongoing educational and communicative process.