The Committee on Social Communication and Media Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences was established on January 19, 2021, under resolution no. 1/2021 of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as a Topical Committee within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The establishment of the Committee constituted a significant step in formalizing the institutional discipline of social communication and media science. At that time, the Committee undertook the preparation of a report on the state of the discipline, analysis of information value, assessment of changes in the media system in Poland, and drafting recommendations regarding the use of digital media in scientific research, communication, and education.
The actions of the Committee, led by Professor Iwona Hofman in cooperation with the authorities of the Polish Academy of Sciences and with the support of deans of faculties and directors of institutes from 21 universities in Poland conducting research and teaching in media studies, enabled the organization of environmental elections. As a result, the Committee transformed from a Topical Committee into a regular Scientific Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
The transformation of the Committee is a significant step, facilitating further development of the field of media studies in Poland. Additionally, the establishment of the Committee holds great importance for the media studies community, as it integrates the paradigms of three disciplines: sciences of cognition and social communication, media studies, and bibliography and informatics, which were previously present in the scientific classification.