Argument

The influence of celebrities on youth has always been widely debated. With the developments that social media platforms are witnessing as they develop new features and capabilities to communicate with its followers, celebrities on social media platforms have had a greater impact on people than traditional celebrities. This is due to the fact that social networking sites such as Youtube, Instagram and Twitter have given opportunities to the common public to gain fame. It led to the emergence of influencers on social media platforms. This effect was manifested by the shift in the public’s interests from one global trend to another.

Social media influencers, according to the literature review, are like traditional celebrities in the sense that they have developed a human-brand. The latter means individuals with a large number of online followers; they command a large number of engagement and interest and can use this popularity in many areas. The influencer has the tools to attract many followers constantly especially that the audience of social media influencers is not limited to their actual followers, but they can connect with the followers of their followers who share their content, which expands their potential to reach others. Examples include bloggers and Instagrammers who provide information about appearance and beauty, and youtubers who provide various content on their channels such as travel, technical information, cooking and others. However, others tend to display aspects of their personal lives for different goals or present audio-visual works of their production, thus multiplying forms of digital production, its makers, its roles in the digital environment and its effects on society.

Perhaps the problem posed by the presence of the influencer or the expansion of those interested in obtaining this title, and then the great interest in their content is that while digital content is witnessing tremendous growth, the demand for follow-up increases, while production gradually loses its value. This leads us to the loss of meaning. As Jean Baudrillard points out, “We live in a world in which information increases more and more, while meaning becomes less and less”. There are hot debates about the importance of the contents presented and the limits of influence and whether this influence really exists. If we consider that social networking sites are not a communication tool as much as they are a tool to create meaning for the experiences of the group, it is more representative of the theory of chaos. The new media environment is prepared for the occurrence of chaos because it is considered a complex dynamic system within which irregular and unstable behaviors occur. Chaos then remains a special characteristic of this inevitable virtual environment, and it becomes difficult to control its dynamics and predict its future  (Al-Haidari 2010). With the increase in the number of influencers in the digital environment and the diversity of their content, it has become very important to question the nature of this content, especially if we go back to the simple definition of the concept of influencer as “the person who influences”. It is also plausible to delve deeper and ask (how does it affect and who does it affect?), As we have become in a media environment in which there is no room for control, as it is difficult for us to predict the changes that may occur in this environment, and it is difficult to control the messages, their contents and effects, even if they present content without value and devoid of meaning. From this point of view, we seek, through this international conference , to research the manifestations of the chaos of the content industry in the digital environment by critiquing the media and communication landscape in the context of the digital environment. The conference also discusses the effects of these contents on individuals and the social system as a whole. In addition to that, it examines the possibilities of organization and raising the awareness of the recipient

Conference Tracks:

1. Influencer and content creator through scientific studies and contemporary philosophical debates

An introduction to understanding the influencer and content creator and the differences between them

The influencer in the light of philosophical debates

Influencer in scientific studies (review of the literature)

2.Digital content for influencers: its scope and ethical limits

Cultural digital content

Self -branding

Educational content, tourist content, entertainment content…

3.The Ethical limits of the social media influencer content

 4.Social and Psychological Effects of the Digital Content of Influencers

5.Manifestations of chaos in the digital environment and content criticism

 6.Mechanisms for regulating digital content and raising its user’s awareness

Objectives of the conference

1. Determining the concepts related to the influencer and the content creator
2. Studying the areas of influence of digital content and its ethical limits
3. Criticizing the digital content of influencers
4. Providing a forward-looking vision about the mechanisms for regulating digital content and raising users’ awareness