Introduction

The third International Communication Days, initiated by the Faculty of Communication at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the Republic of Turkey and now a tradition, is being held this year. The main theme of our 2026 symposium is “From Alphabet to Algorithm: New Horizons in Global Communication.” Shaped by the vision of the Turkish Century, this symposium aims to create a platform for discussing new ways of thinking, not only in the fields of communication and social sciences, but also in technology, art, culture, and language.

The symposium, featuring expert invited speakers from national and international levels, will be held on May 13-14-15, 2026, in a blended format of face-to-face and online sessions. The story of humanity, beginning with the alphabet, continues through symbols, writing, sound, and finally algorithms. Communication, in essence, finds its life in the vibration of a letter, the meaning of a word, and the analyses of an algorithm. This is why the phrase "From Alphabet to Algorithm" represents not only a technological transformation but also a cultural, aesthetic, and intellectual continuity. In this context, the rediscovery of the Common Turkic Alphabet and the merging of the common cultural codes of the Turkic world with the new languages ​​of the digital age are in keeping with the spirit of the symposium. This common root, born from letters, is now being transferred to the digital environment with artificial intelligence technologies; transforming the nature of communication in every field, from literature and poetry to design and journalism.

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a technical development, but a form of literary production, a creative environment. The development of indigenous and national artificial intelligence applications is of great importance both for our technological independence and our cultural continuity. As long as we can write our own language, our own alphabet, with our own codes, we can be the subject of the digital future. Today, algorithms can sometimes be as aesthetic as a line of poetry, and sometimes as analytical as an article. However, the real issue is being able to use these technologies for the benefit of humanity, with ethical and humane awareness. Because communication, like poetry, derives its meaning from the intention of the user and the human essence it carries. Our symposium aims to discuss artificial intelligence not only as a technical tool but also in its ethical, aesthetic, and cultural dimensions. In this respect, the title "From Alphabet to Algorithm" also means "writing the future of humanity."

In the digital transformation process, domestic and national artificial intelligence studies are one of the most powerful tools to carry our cultural identity into the future. Just as the alphabet is a memory of civilization, algorithms are poised to become the new language of this memory. Therefore, at the 3rd International Communication Days, organized by BAİBÜ İLEF, we invite participants from a wide range of fields, from academia to art, from digital media to design, from social sciences to engineering disciplines, to explore new horizons.

Symposium Themes

Common Turkic Alphabet, Language Unity and the Digital Future
Cultural Memory and Identity in the Age of Algorithms
Science, Technology and Innovation Networks in the Turkic World
Digital Literature, Poetry and Narrative Cultures
The New Face of Art, Design and Creativity with Artificial Intelligence
Ethnography, Cultural Studies and Digital Representations
Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence Applications in Healthcare
From Computing to Information Society: Technology and Humanity
Media, Disinformation and Algorithmic Responsibility
Ethics, Law and Cultural Approaches in Engineering
Turkology and Digital Archives: Coding the Past
Artificial Intelligence, Language Learning and Cultural Transmission in Education
New Technologies in the Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Interaction of Psychology, Perception and Artificial Intelligence
Digital Aesthetics from Tradition to the Future in Design
Domestic Software, National Technology and Cultural Sustainability
Digital Society and Interaction from a Social Sciences Perspective
From Data to Story: Cultural Presentation of Scientific Knowledge
From Alphabet to Algorithm: The Relationship Between Humans, Language, and Technology

The Future of Digital Culture Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Abstracts submitted to the symposium in Turkish or English will be evaluated by a peer-review board composed of expert academics in the field, using a blind peer-review system. Studies that receive peer-review approval will be included in the Abstract Book; full texts of accepted papers will be included in the Symposium Proceedings Book, which will be published electronically.

Abstracts should be a maximum of 250 words, and full texts a maximum of 7,500 words. All texts must adhere to the writing guidelines of the Abant Cultural Research Journal, the social sciences journal of the Faculty of Communication at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University.

The deadline for abstract submissions is March 25, 2026, and all submissions will be made through the symposium's official website. Accepted papers will be announced on April 14, 2026.