Yogyakarta, April 28, 2025 – The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FISHUM) UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta affirmed its commitment to building a critical discourse on the development of digital technology through the Seminar Series entitled "The Scrolling Generation: Youth, Affect, and the Machinery of Algorithmic Politics." This seminar was held in the Interactive Center (IC) room of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. It was guided by one of the Communication Science lecturers, Durrotul Masudah, M.A. as the moderator.

The event was opened with a speech by Dr. Mohammad Mahfud, S.Sos., M.Si. the Head of the Communication Science Study Program of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. Then the second speech was delivered by Dr. Erika Setyanti Kusumaputri S.Psi., M.Si. as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of creating an academic discussion space that can bridge the understanding of the younger generation to the digital technology they consume every day.

The keynote session was moderated by Prof. Merlyna Lim, an expert in media and technology studies from Carleton University, Canada. In her presentation, Prof. Merlyna explored how digital algorithms work not only to convey information but also to form affection and encourage certain socio-political actions. "Algorithms are designed not for logic, but to influence someone to do certain things," he said, inviting participants to be aware of the emotional dimension in digital media.

The seminar was then continued with a book review session by Dr. Rama Kertamukti, S.Sos., M.Sn. who gave appreciation for Prof. Merlyna's thoughts as well as conveyed critical reflections. Closing the session, Dr. Rama quoted a sentence from Laela Chudori: "In this world, we are connected not only by words but in a space that penetrates boundaries," as a marker of the importance of depth of meaning in today's digital connectedness. The event closed with a Question-and-Answer session with participants who showed their enthusiasm in this seminar. (ed/red)