Akbar Nasrollahi, the head of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Communications, and Media at Islamic Azad University, analyzed the new media landscape and the challenges facing universities in a meeting with cultural and student vice presidents, managers, and professors from Islamic Azad University across the country. He warned that the selection and engineered dissemination of messages by opposing media, alongside the negligence of media and cultural sectors, can turn an ordinary issue into a crisis.
Analysis of Events and the Role of Information
Nasrollahi emphasized that many events are not crises in themselves, stating: What can turn an event into a crisis is the way of dealing with it, the type of information dissemination, and the selection of messages. In the new media landscape, opposing media aim to construct their specific narrative of an ordinary event by purposefully selecting the subject and timing of message dissemination. This can lead to a crisis if media and academic sectors neglect it.
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Challenges for Universities in the New Media Landscape
Nasrollahi pointed to the new challenges facing universities and said: In this situation, universities cannot limit themselves to education and research alone. They must recognize the concerns and questions of students and create an environment for effective dialogue and interaction. He also emphasized that professors must transition from being "reactive professors" to "active professors," meaning they should establish effective communication with students before a crisis occurs.
He also referred to the extensive changes in the social and media environment of the country and said: Universities should not be indifferent to changes in their surrounding environment. Some social issues may pass through the university and its relationship with students and families. Before a crisis, communication with students must be strengthened, and their issues and concerns must be identified.
The Necessity of Changing Professors' Approach
Nasrollahi explained the concept of the "active professor" and said: An active professor should give students the opportunity to ask questions and respond to doubts. Instead of only entering the field during a crisis, they create communication capital in advance. Nasrollahi emphasized that for the university to play this role, it must be both "issue-aware" and "media-savvy." If the university cannot identify students' issues and does not see media transformations, it cannot play an effective role in managing messages and narratives.
Ultimately, Nasrollahi emphasized that professors are not just transmitters of course content, but can play an important role in enhancing students' analytical power and perceptual resilience. This new approach in managing communications and crises can help universities operate effectively in the current complex and changing conditions.
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