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"The President of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) François Heinderyckx said Turkey is becoming a regional media power due to its export of local television programs and the popularity of social media with Istanbul’s youth.Speaking at a press conference yesterday regarding the fourth European Communication Conference to be held next year, Heinderyckx also emphasized the rising importance of Turkish universities offering media studies.“The conference will be held in cooperation with the Association of Communication Research [İLAD] in Turkey, underlining the future of social media with Istanbul the focus of the organization this year,” he said.Three thousand academics from all over Europe are expected to attend the conference, which will be divided into 14 thematic groups including digital culture, democracy communication and gender media.Secretary-General of İLAD Nurçay Türkoğlu said Istanbul is an attractive destination not only for tourists but also for academics and businesspeople who specialize in communications.“Istanbul is a heaven for an academic who studies communications,” Türkoğlu told Hürriyet Daily News. k HDN"Source : Hürriyet Daily NewsSee also :ILAD : http://www.iletisimarastirma.org/Today's Zaman : "European Communication Conference to be held in İstanbul next year"Radikal :  "Sosyal medya ve global sesler"&#160;&#160;