Communication is considered a human characteristic whose existence extends back to the very emergence of humanity on this earth. As a result of this long and complex historical process, media and communication tools have multiplied and diversified from one era to another. In this presented work—which gathers the contributions of young researchers who focused on the phenomenon of social communication and interaction through the issue of the image in its various representations—the image has become a defining feature distinguishing this era from its predecessors. In order for this image to manifest and foster communication across social spectra between senders and receivers, technical means spread in parallel: from antennas to mobile phones and then the Internet, along with the services the latter provides through its multimedia channels to facilitate communication and build a network of virtual acquaintances. These new forms, rapidly accelerating in intensity to facilitate communication and connection, have adopted the image as a driving force to win the wager, because it is the genuine and distinctive actor capable of responding to this challenge—namely, the process of acculturation between different peoples and identities.

The concept of acculturation signifies mutual give-and-take, far removed from all forms of guardianship and threat. That is, there is no single producer fixed in a specific time and place—as promoted by the proponents and theorists of high culture (Culture Savante)—and a consumer who merely accepts this culture without the right to discuss or review it within their own cultural and intellectual values and standards. Here, the importance of the image emerges in its various forms and within its local specificity to express a particular social representation. This confronts us with a challenge: either bringing about a targeted social and cultural change aspiring toward development and progress, or driving social change in the opposite direction, leading to a dead end through the dissolution of social bonds.

Consequently, this embodied image, functioning as a discourse, compels us to answer a set of questions, including: Who stands behind this image that embodies authority? To what extent do local youth represent themselves through the contents of these new forms of media and communication tools, interacting with them and with these images? And what is the extent of influence these images exert—both currently and in the future—on traditional relationships and bonds: the family, local identity, geographic borders, the nation-state, and the existing political authority?

Prof. Dr. Yezli Ben Omar