Doc Humas – DP

The Faculty of Communication (Fikom) Untar once again hosted the 2024 National Conference on Humanistic Communication (KNKH), which was opened online with the theme “The Future of Public Communication: Challenges and Opportunities” on Wednesday (30/10/2024). Now entering its seventh year, KNKH 2024 invited several speakers, including Dr. Firman Kurniawan, a Cultural and Digital Communication Expert from the University of Indonesia; Fetty Kwartati, President Director & International Business of PT. Sarinah; and Dr. Muhammad Adi Pribadi, S.E., M.I.B., M.Comm., a lecturer at Fikom Untar.
In his opening remarks, Untar Rector Prof. Dr. Amad Sudiro, S.H., M.H., M.Kn., M.M., stated that the theme chosen is highly relevant to discuss in the digital era. He emphasized that the development of public communication, as part of the process of conveying messages from individuals to the public, can influence how relationships with the broader audience are built. “This conference is expected to become a platform for discussing communication issues that are relevant in terms of innovation, ethics, and their effectiveness in the future. I wish you all a successful conference,” he added.

Dean of Fikom Untar Dr. Riris Loisa, M.Si. The conference was presented as an opportunity to explore the challenges and opportunities in public communication in the era of artificial intelligence and social media. It was also hoped that the conference could serve as a platform for academics, practitioners, and the academic community of Fikom Untar to contribute to enriching the understanding of public communication.
Public Communication Discussion
The speakers shared their views on the topic of public communication in the main session of KNKH, moderated by Fikom Untar lecturer, Septia Winduwati, S.Sos., M.Si. Dr. Firman Kurniawan addressed the topic “The Future of Public Communication Amid the Death of Dialogue,” discussing the primary challenges of public communication in the digital era, where dialogue between institutions and society is often hindered. He outlined three paradoxes in public communication: first, the abundance of information without transparency; second, an overflow of information, yet with limited themes; and third, the government and its citizens are intensively speaking, yet not listening to each other. Firman emphasized the importance of participatory and transparent public communication to foster dialogue and rebuild trust.
The second speaker, Fetty Kwartati, stressed the role of public communication in enhancing public trust, mitigating crises, minimizing negative impacts on an institution’s image, and boosting brand loyalty. In her presentation titled Public Communication in the Digital Era: Sarinah’s Communication Strategy during Transformation, she also explained the company’s transformation strategy to reposition its image as a cultural and commercial hub that supports SMEs.
The third speaker, Dr. Muhammad Adi Pribadi, viewed public communication as a crucial part of introducing organizations, products, and brands to the public through various communication channels. In his presentation titled Public Communication: Artificial Intelligence & Advertising, he explained how advertising, as part of public communication, functions to create awareness and influence audiences, including in public service campaigns. He noted that technological developments, especially AI, simplify the advertising creation process through automation, such as the Smart Generation System (SGS-PAC).
KNKH 2024, which is also part of the series of events for Untar’s 65th Anniversary, was attended by lecturers, researchers, and students from various campuses who submitted research articles and thoughts related to topics surrounding public communication. The Chairperson of KNKH 2024, Doddy Salman, S.H., M.Si., stated that the articles submitted to KNKH would be published in a book. He hoped that the conference would contribute to the academic community of Fikom Untar in building better public communication. (DP/YS/DP)