Introduction: Diversity in Communication

This issue of VAKKI Publications explores the theme of Diversity in Communication (Moninaisuus viestinnss / Mngfald i kommunikation / Vielfalt in der Kommunikation).This very "diverse" topic can be understood as encompassing different language forms, modes of expression, people and voices, as well as their profound impacts on inclusion, participation, and the quality of discourse in both societal and professional contexts.Diversity, citing the philosopher Hanna Arendt (1968), calls for preservation of otherness: the intact uniqueness of members in human communities.On a discursive level, drawing on the influential literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin, diversity in communication can be understood as polyphony, meaning the simultaneous presence of differing voices and the intertwined or conflicting points of view they bring to the text (e.g.Bakhtin 1984).Polyphony can be opposed to monologic discourse, where only one perspective and ideology prevail, silencing all others.Preservation of otherness and polyphony are relevant to contemporary media-societal participation, where diversity is a key component of political futures and requires intercultural connectedness and technological and literacy-based accessibility beyond easy solutions to complex societal problems, as stated by social scientist Zizi Papacharissi (e.g.2021).By exploring the various viewpoints, roles, identities, agendas, languages, and abilities seen in and relevant to communication, researchers address fundamental questions such as equality.