Mataram, University of Mataram – Communication Studies Student Association of the University of Mataram (Himikom Unram) held the 5th National Seminar on Communication Studies (SEMNAMASKOM V) with the theme “Cancel Culture and the Digital Communication Crisis between Ethical Pressure and Symbolic Violence” on Tuesday, 21 October 2025. The event was held in a hybrid format at the Unram Dome Building and via Zoom Meeting. This seminar was organised as part of the Himikom Unram Festival (HUFEST) 2025.

This national seminar featured Sadam Permana, a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia and a content creator, as the keynote speaker, as well as four other national speakers from various universities in Indonesia, namely Idlan Dziqri Mahmudi (Bakrie University) with the topic “Photography in Digital Journalism”, Aisyia Azzahara (University of Mataram) with the topic “Digital Literacy and AI Literacy”, Jatayu Bias Cakrawala (Gadjah Mada University) with the topic “Unravelling Digital Journalism Practices in Indonesia”, and Liliyanti Julvina (Tanjungpura University) with the topic “Rise to Fame or Close Your Account?”.

The event was symbolically opened by the Head of the Communication Studies Programme at Unram, Dr. Ir. Agus Purbathin Hadi, M.Si., and was moderated by Odie Hikmal, a Communication Studies student at Unram. The seminar was divided into four sessions of material presentation by the speakers, followed by an interactive discussion session between the participants and speakers. The event then continued with a presentation of the main material by Sadam Permana, who highlighted the challenges of ethics and symbolic violence in digital communication practices.

The Chair of the SEMNAMASKOM V Committee, M. Zaki Juliansyah Putra, expressed his appreciation for the success of this event in his speech. “In this 5th National Seminar for Communication Science Students, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who supported and made this event a success, namely SEMNAMASKOM V as part of the HUFEST 2025 series of events. Hopefully, this activity can become a forum for students to continue to think critically, openly, and ethically in facing social phenomena in the digital era, especially in the context of cancel culture in line with the theme we are carrying,” he said.

The event was attended by around 400 participants from various universities in Mataram. Participants responded positively to the event’s organisation, as the presented material was both communicative and inspiring. As a closing activity, the organising committee conducted an interactive quiz with prizes awarded to participants who successfully answered the questions. The event concluded with a group photo session involving the speakers, organising committee, and participants, marking the end of the SEMNAMASKOM V event series.