The book critically examines how visual culture, journalism, digital platforms, advertising, and storytelling shape public perception, social identities, political awareness, and cultural experiences across local and global contexts. The book presents a diverse collection of scholarly studies that analyse contemporary issues in media and communication through critical, cultural, and technological perspectives. It includes discussions on cinematic representation, identity politics, visual symbolism, gender sensitivity, disability discourse, minority visibility, and digital culture. It investigates the role of films, advertisements, and news media in constructing social meanings and influencing audience behaviour, while others examine technological dependency, digital inequality, machine learning applications in journalism, and inclusive design practices in UI/UX. The volume also explores regional and global cultural narratives through studies on anime fandom, environmental justice movements, festival marketing, and diaspora representation. Combining theoretical frameworks with case-study-based analysis, the book demonstrates how media and communication practices continue to evolve alongside technological advancement, social transformation, and shifting cultural identities in the contemporary world. This book is intended for researchers, academicians, postgraduate students, media professionals, and scholars in communication, journalism, film studies, cultural studies, advertising, literature, and digital media studies. It is especially valuable for readers interested in interdisciplinary approaches to media, identity, technology, and contemporary socio-cultural transformations.
