June 9 -11, 2027
Riding Digital Waves
Sydney, Australia

NETNOCON 2027

GLOBAL NETNOGRAPHY CONFERENCE
Riding Digital Waves

In 2027, Netnocon arrives in Sydney, Australia, for a landmark gathering of the global netnography community. Hosted at Western Sydney University Parramatta City campus, in the western suburbs of Sydney, this will be the first time Netnocon is held outside Europe, bringing researchers, practitioners, and students together at a meeting point of Indigenous heritage, global cultures, and digital innovation. Surrounded by oceans, rivers, and constantly shifting currents, Sydney provides the perfect setting for this year's theme: Riding Digital Waves. As netnography continues to evolve and expand across disciplines, sectors, and continents, we gather to explore the opportunities, challenges, and transformations shaping our increasingly digital lives.

We come together at a time when artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems, digital platforms, and online communities are reshaping the ways people connect, create, consume, learn, and organise. The pace of technological change can feel overwhelming, yet beneath the rapid flow of information remain the stories, relationships, values, and cultural meanings that make us human. Netnography offers a way to immerse ourselves in these evolving environments, to understand how people navigate them, and to uncover the deeper patterns shaping contemporary digital culture. Netnocon provides a dedicated space to share those discoveries, debate new directions, and advance our collective understanding.

If you have attended Netnocon before, you already know that its greatest strength is its community. Scholars, practitioners, creative thinkers, and emerging researchers from around the world come together in a spirit of generosity, curiosity, and collaboration. Across disciplines and career stages, participants contribute fresh perspectives, thoughtful conversations, and lasting connections. Netnocon is a place where ideas develop, partnerships begin, and lifelong friendships are formed.

If you have not joined us before, we invite you to come for the scholarship and stay for the community. Together, we will explore what it means to ride the digital waves transforming our world, while continuing to build the future of netnographic research.

Join us for Netnocon 2027 in Sydney and ride the digital wave of energy, creativity, and connection of a truly global netnography community.

Netnocon 2027

Organizing Committee and Chairs
Robert Kozinets
Robert Kozinets
Co-chair
Professor Robert V. Kozinets develops methods and theories that are widely used around the world. His work aims to provide a human-centered understanding of technocultures as well as the social structures and passions that surround them. Netnography, his major innovation, is transforming research practices throughout industry and across the social sciences.
Ulrike Gretzel
Ulrike Gretzel
Co-Chair
Dr. Ulrike Gretzel is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Public Relations, University of Southern California and Director of Research at Netnografica. She has over 15 years of experience conducting academic and practice-focused netnographies, with topics ranging from the experiences of black vanlifers to the collective activism among fans of a Chinese TV drama.
Rossella Gambetti
Rossella Gambetti
Co-Chair
Rossella Gambetti is professor of branding and consumer culture at Labcom, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. Her research focuses on emerging technocultural phenomena shaping contemporary branding and consumer culture. Rossella is a “netno-enthusiast” who conducted several netnographic explorations in the social media worlds.
Lena Cavusoglu
Lena Cavusoglu
Co-Chair
Lena Cavusoglu is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. Her research focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in marketing, focusing on creative industries such as film, social and digital media, entertainment, and fashion. For NETNOCON 2026, she leads efforts in local logistics coordination, branding, and sponsorship outreach.
Romas Malevicius
Romas Malevicius
Co-Chair
Romas Malevicius, Assistant Professor of Marketing (Lecturer) at King’s College London, UK, is a digital artist passionate about marketing, sustainability, and education for sustainability (EfS). He is a business consultant with 10 years of experience in business and management education and community engagement.
Sema Misci Kip
Sema Misci Kip
Co-Chair
Sema Misci Kip is a Full Professor in Public Relations and Advertising at İzmir University of Economics, Türkiye, where she teaches advertising, brand, and marketing communication. Her research focuses on marketing communication, advertising, social media, websites, and sustainability. For NETNOCON 2026, she serves on both the organizing and media & sponsorship committees.
Ebru Uzunoglu
Ebru Uzunoglu
Co-Chair
Ebru Uzunoğlu is a Professor of Marketing Communications and Public Relations at the University of Ljubljana and affiliated with Izmir University of Economics. Her research focuses on integrated marketing communications, particularly brand perception, stakeholder engagement, and corporate messaging in digital contexts. For NETNOCON 2026, she supports student involvement as an applied learning experience and assists in budgeting.
Burak Dogu
Burak Dogu
Co-Chair
Burak Doğu is Dean of the Faculty of Communication at İzmir University of Economics. His research focuses on environmental communication, networking, and social movements. For NETNOCON 2026 he coordinates the local organizational activities. This includes facilitating communication and collaboration among the university’s various administrative and academic departments, as well as handling relationships with external partners and stakeholders.
Selin Turkel
Selin Turkel
Co-Chair
Selin Türkel is a Professor and Chair of Public Relations and Advertising at İzmir University of Economics, focusing on child rights, disaster communication, research methods, public relations, and nonprofit advocacy. For NETNOCON 2026, she supports faculty, students, and external stakeholders to boost engagement, leverages her administrative role to facilitate logistics, and contributes to media outreach.
Zeynep Aksoy
Zeynep Aksoy
Co-Chair
Zeynep Aksoy is an Associate Professor of Public Relations and Advertising at Izmir University of Economics. Her research focuses on intercultural communication, cultural identity, corporate, and healthcare communication. For NETNOCON 2026, she contributes to media visibility, sponsorship, and promotional efforts.
Burcu Yaman Akyar
Burcu Yaman Akyar
Co-Chair
Burcu Yaman Akyar is an Assistant Professor of Public Relations and Advertising at İzmir University of Economics, Türkiye. She holds a PhD in Advertising from Ege University and was a visiting researcher at the University of Amsterdam (2023). Her research focuses on advertising, consumer behavior, consumer culture, and digital privacy, and she supports local organizational and logistical coordination for NETNOCON 2026.

Get in touch

Western Sydney University, Parramatta City 161-169 Macquarie St Parramatta NSW 2150
info@netnocon.org