Anna Litvinenko, PhD, is a researcher at the “Digitalization and Participation” department of the Institute for Media and Communication Studies, Freie Universität Berlin. In 2015–2020, she was a member of the Emmy Noether Junior Research Group “Mediating (Semi-)Authoritarianism––The Power of the Internet in the Post-Soviet World” at FU Berlin. After receiving her PhD in 2007 in Russia, she worked as an associate professor at the Department of International Journalism of Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU). Starting from 2010, she was head of the German–Russian Centre of Journalism at SPbU. Anna is a recipient of several grants including fellowships of the German Bundestag and of the German–Russian Forum (the “Journalists from Russia” programme). She has been a practicing journalist since 1996 and has received several journalism awards, among them the Special Prize of the Peter-Boenisch Contest of the German–Russian Forum “Petersburger Dialog” (2010). In 2011–2012, as a recipient of the German Chancellor Fellowship for Prospective Leaders (Alexander-von-Humboldt-Foundation), she was a visiting researcher at FU Berlin. In 2020, she was a research fellow at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, Berlin. Since the beginning of 2020, Anna has been hosting a podcast called “Internet & Society”, where scholars discuss different aspects of digitalization and its societal impact. 

Winter term 2023/24:

28874 MA Pol. Komm./MA PuK: The Role of digital media in the Russia-Ukraine war

28763 MA PuK: Internet Governance: Theory and Practice

Winter term 2022/23:

28763 MA PuK/ MA Nordamerikastudien Hauptseminar: Internet Governance: Theory and Practice

28873 MA PuK Hauptseminar: Digital Media and Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

Summer term 2022:

28628 BA PuK Seminar: Media effects theories and media literacy education

28844 MA Pol. Komm/ MA PuK/ Medieninformatik Hauptseminar: The Role of the Internet in Russia-Ukraine War

28846 MA Pol. Komm/ PuK/Medieninformatik Hauptseminar/ MA Nordamerikastudien Seminar: Local Media in Comparative and Global Perspective

Winter term 2021/22:

28763 MA PuK Hauptseminar: Internet Governance: Theory and Practics

28873 MA Pol. Komm. /PuK Hauptseminar: Digital Media and Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

Summer term 2021:

28871: MA Pol. Komm/ PuK Hauptseminar: Comparing Mediated Publics Across Different Contexts

Winter term 2020/21: 

28711: MA PuK Hauptseminar: Media Effects Theories in the Digital Age 

28761: MA PuK Hauptseminar: Internet Governance: Theory and Practice

Summer term 2020:

28626: BA PuK Seminar: Publics under Authoritarian Rule

28579: BA PuK/Medieninformatik Seminar: Social Media and Political Mobilization

Winter term 2019/20:

28874: MA PuK/ Pol. Komm. Haupseminar: New Media and Political Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe

Summer term 2019:

28843: MA PuK Seminar: Comparing Authoritarian Publics 

Winter term 2016/17:

28863: MA PuK Seminar: Hauptseminar: New Media and Politics in the Post-Soviet World

S28564 BA PuK Seminar: Einführung in die empirische Kommunikationsforschung 

Winter term 2015/16:

S28874: MA Pol. Komm. Hauptseminar: New Media and Politics in (Semi-)Authoritarian States

Research fields:

• Role of social media in different socio-political contexts
• Social media and political mobilization
• Internet governance
• Platform dependence: How do platform affordances influence discussion patterns?
• Political communication in (semi-)authoritarian regimes 

Litvinenko, A., & Smoliarova, A. (2024). Trust in Anonymous news? How Users Navigate Political News Channels on Russian Telegram. Social Sciences, 13(4), 180. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13040180

Litvinenko, A. (2023). Revolution vs. reaction: the role of social media in authoritarian regimes. In S. Coleman & L. Sorenson (Hrsg.), Handbook of Digital Politics (pp. 45-75). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800377585.00012

Richter, C., Grüne, A., Hafez, K., Fiedler, A., Behmer, M., Horz-Ishak, C., Badr, H., Litvinenko, A., Hahn, O., Radue, M., Sarısakaloğlu, A., Löffelholz, M., Fengler, S., Illg, B., Hamidi, K., Hanitzsch, T., & Thomaß, B. (2023). Die „tiefe Internationalisierung“ der deutschen Kommunikationswissenschaft? Eine Evaluation der Personal- und Forschungsstrukturen sowie der Lehrprogramme deutscher Hochschulen. Global Media Journal - German Edition, 13(1). https://www.globalmediajournal.de/index.php/gmj/article/view/275  

Litvinenko, A. (2023). The role of context in incivility research. In C. Strippel, S. Paasch-Colberg, M. Emmer, & J. Trebbe (Eds.), Challenges and perspectives of hate speech research (pp. 73-85). Digital Communication Research. https://doi.org/10.48541/dcr.v12.5

Litvinenko, A. (2023). Propaganda on demand: Russia’s media environment during the war in Ukraine. Global Media Journal - German Edition, 12, 2. https://doi.org/10.22032/DBT.55518

Kreutler, M., Fengler, S., Asadi, N., Bodrunova, S., Budivska, H., Diop, L., Ertz, G., Gigola, D., Katus, E., Kovacs, D., Kuś, M., Láb, F., Litvinenko, A., Mack, J., Maier, S., Martinho, A. P., Matei, A., Miller, K. C., Oppermann, L., Pérez Vara, E., Polyák, G., Ravisankar, R., Rodríguez Pérez, C., Semova, D. J., Skleparis, D., Splendore, S., Štefaniková, S., Szynol, A., Telo, D., Zguri, R. (2022). Migration Coverage in Europe, Russia and the United States. A comparative Analysis of Coverage in 17 countries (2015-2018). Central European Journal of Communication, 15(2(31)., 202-226. https://doi.org/10.51480/1899-5101.15.2(31).2

Litvinenko, A., & Bodrunova, S. (2022). Russia: Media Accountability in a Polarized Society. In S. Fengler, T. Eberwein & M. Karmasin (Eds.), Global Handbook of Media Accountability (pp. 203-212). London/New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429326943

Litvinenko, A., Borissova, A., & Smoliarova, A. (2022). Politicization of Science Journalism: How Russian Journalists Covered the Covid-19 Pandemic. Journalism Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.2017791

Litvinenko, A., & Bodrunova, S. (2022). Russia: Media Accountability in a Polarized Society. In S. Fengler, T. Eberwein & M. Karmasin (Eds.), Global Handbook of Media Accountability (pp. 203-212). London/New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429326943

Litvinenko, A., Borissova, A., & Smoliarova, A. (2022). Politicization of Science Journalism: How Russian Journalists Covered the Covid-19 Pandemic. Journalism Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.2017791

Toepfl, F., & Litvinenko, A. (2021). Critically Commenting Publics as Authoritarian Input Institutions: How Citizens Comment Beneath their News in Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. Journalism Studies, 22(4), 475-495.  https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.1882877

Bodrunova S., Litvinenko A., Blekanov, I., & Nepiyushchikh, D. (2021). Constructive Aggression? Multiple Roles of Aggressive Content in Political Discourse on Russian YouTube. Media and Communication, 9(1), 181–194. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i1.3469 

Litvinenko, A. (2021). Re-Defining Borders Online: Russia’s Strategic Narrative on Internet Sovereignty. Media & Communication, 9(4), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i4.4292

Litvinenko, A, & Bodrunova, S. (2021). Perspectives from Russia: Migration in the Post-Soviet Space. In S. Fengler & M. Lengauer (Eds.), Reporting on Media, Migration and Forced Displacement (pp. 10-13).Erich-Brost-Institute for Internationale Journalism. http://dx.doi.org/10.17877/DE290R-22404

Litvinenko, A., & Toepfl, F. (2021). The (Non-)Adoption of Participatory Newsroom Innovations under Authoritarian Rule: How Comment Sections Diffused in Belarus and Azerbaijan (1998–2017), Digital Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1888137

Litvinenko, A. (2021). YouTube as Alternative Television in Russia: Political Videos During the Presidential Election Campaign 2018. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120984455

Toepfl, F., & Litvinenko, A. (2021). Critically Commenting Publics as Authoritarian Input Institutions: How Citizens Comment Beneath their News in Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. Journalism Studies, 22(4), 475-495.  https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.1882877

Bodrunova S., Litvinenko A., Blekanov, I., & Nepiyushchikh, D. (2021). Constructive Aggression? Multiple Roles of Aggressive Content in Political Discourse on Russian YouTube. Media and Communication, 9(1), 181–194. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i1.3469 

Litvinenko, A. (2021). Re-Defining Borders Online: Russia’s Strategic Narrative on Internet Sovereignty. Media & Communication, 9(4), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i4.4292

Litvinenko, A, & Bodrunova, S. (2021). Perspectives from Russia: Migration in the Post-Soviet Space. In S. Fengler & M. Lengauer (Eds.), Reporting on Media, Migration and Forced Displacement (pp. 10-13).Erich-Brost-Institute for Internationale Journalism. http://dx.doi.org/10.17877/DE290R-22404

Litvinenko, A., & Toepfl, F. (2021). The (Non-)Adoption of Participatory Newsroom Innovations under Authoritarian Rule: How Comment Sections Diffused in Belarus and Azerbaijan (1998–2017), Digital Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1888137

Litvinenko, A. (2021). YouTube as Alternative Television in Russia: Political Videos During the Presidential Election Campaign 2018. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120984455

Litvinenko, A. (2021). [Book Review] BRICS Media: Reshaping the Global Communication Order? by D. K. Thussu & K. Nordenstreng. UFITA, 85(1), 183-185. https://doi.org/10.5771/2568-9185-2021-1-165

Litvinenko, A. (2021). [Book Review] Was darf man sagen? Meinungsfreiheit im Zeitalter des Populismus, by T. Schultz. UFITA, 85(2), 365-367. https://doi.org/10.5771/2568-9185-2021-2

Badr, H., Behmer, M., Fengler, S. et al. (2020). Kosmopolitische Kommunikationswissenschaft: Plädoyer für eine „tiefe Internationalisierung“ des Fachs in Deutschland. Publizistik, 65, 295–303 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-020-00576-6

Litvinenko, A. (2020). [Book Review] The Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism. Global Media Journal - German Edition, 10(2). https://globalmediajournal.de/index.php/gmj/article/view/148

Litvinenko, A. (2020). Social Media in Russia: Between State and Society. Russian Analytical Digest No. 258. https://css.ethz.ch/en/publications/rad/details.html?id=/n/o/2/5/no_258_media_capture

Litvinenko, A., & Nigmatullina, K. (2020). Local Dimensions of Media Freedom: A Comparative Analysis of News Media Landscapes in 33 Russian Regions. Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization 28(3), 393-418. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/762321

Litvinenko, A., & Zavadski, A. (2020). Memories on Demand: Narratives about 1917 in Russia’s Online Publics. Europe-Asia Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2020.1791801

Bodrunova, S., Litvinenko, A., & Blekanov I. (2020). Please Follow Us: Media Roles in Twitter Discussions in the United States, Germany, France, and Russia. In R.E. Gutsche, Jr., K.Hess (Eds.), Reimagining Journalism and Social Order in a Fragmented Media World. Routledge. 

Bodrunova, S. S., Litvinenko, A., & Nigmatullina, K. (2020). Who is the Censor? Self-censorship of Russian Journalists in Professional Routines and Social Networking. Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884920941965

Bodrunova S., Blekanov I., Smoliarova A., Litvinenko A. (2019). Beyond Left and Right: Real-World Political Polarization in Twitter Discussions on Inter-Ethnic Conflicts. Media and Communication, 7(3), 119–132. https://doi.org/ 10.17645/mac.v7i3.1934

Bodrunova, S. S., Litvinenko, A. A., & Blekanov, I. S. (2018). Please Follow Us. Journalism Practice, 12(2), 177–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2017.1394208

Litvinenko, A., & Toepfl, F. (2019). The “Gardening” of an Authoritarian Public at Large: How Russia’s Ruling Elites Transformed the Country’s Media Landscape After the 2011/12 Protests “For Fair Elections”, Publizistik (published online first). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-019-00486-2

Fengler, S., Kreutler, M., Alku, M., Barlovac, B., Bastian, M., Bodrunova, S., Brinkmann, J., Dingerkus, F., Hájek, R., Knopper, S., Kus, M., Láb, F., Lees, C., Litvinenko, A., Medeiros, D., Orlova, D., Ozolina, L., Paluch, A., Radu, R., Stefanikova S., Veldhoen H., & Zguri, R. (2018). The Ukraine Conflict and the European Media: A Comparative Study of Newspapers in 13 European Countries.Journalism,2(2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884918774311

Toepfl, F., & Litvinenko, A. (2018). Transferring Control from the Backend to the Frontend: A Comparison of the Discourse Architectures of Comment Sections on News Websites across the Post-Soviet World. New Media & Society, 20(8), 2844-2861.

Bodrunova, S. S., Litvinenko, A. A., & Blekanov, I. S. (2017). Comparing Influencers: Activity vs. Connectivity Measures in Defining Key Actors in Twitter Ad Hoc Discussions on Migrants in Germany and Russia. In G. L. Ciampaglia, A. Mashhadi, & T. Yasseri (Eds.), Social Informatics: 9th International Conference, SocInfo 2017, Oxford, UK, September 13-15, 2017, Proceedings (Vol. 10539, pp. 360–376). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67217-5_22

Bodrunova, S., Smoliarova, A., Blekanov, I., & Litvinenko, A. (2017). Content Sharing in Conflictual Ad-Hoc Twitter Discussions: National Patterns or Universal Trends? In D. A. Alexandrov, A. V. Boukhanovsky, A. V. Chugunov, Y. Kabanov, & O. Koltsova (Eds.), Communications in Computer and Information Science. Digital Transformation and Global Society: Second international conference (Vol. 745, pp. 3–15): Springer International PU. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69784-0_1

Litvinenko A., & Kharuk I. (2016). „Unsichtbare rote Linien“: Internet-Regulierung und ihre Konsequenzen für den Online-Journalismus in Russland. Russland Analysen, 324, 2-5. http://www.laender-analysen.de/russland/pdf/RusslandAnalysen324.pdf    

Bodrunova, S., Litvinenko, A., & Blekanov, I. (2016). ACM International Conference Proceeding Series: Influencers on the Russian Twitter: Institutions vs. people in the discussion on migrants, pp. 212-222. https://doi.org/10.1145/3014087.3014106

Bodrunova, S., & Litvinenko, A. (2016). Fragmentation of Society and Media Hybridisation in Today’s Russia: How Facebook Coices Collective Demands. Zhurnal Issledovanii Sotsial'noi Politiki, 14(1), 113-124. https://jsps.hse.ru/en/2016-14-1/178312074.html

Bodrunova, S., & Litvinenko, A. (2015). Four Russias in Communication: Fragmentation of the Russian Public Sphere in the 2010s. In B. Dobek-Ostrowska & M. Glowacki (Eds.), Democracy and media in Central and Eastern Europe 25 years on (pp. 63-79). Peter Lang.

Litvinenko, A., Smoliarova, A., Bekurov, R., Puiy, A., & Glinternik, E. (2015). Mapping International Journalism in Post-Soviet Russia: Global Trends versus National Context. International Review of Management and Marketing, 5, 49-54.

Litvinenko, A. (2013). A New Definition of Journalism Functions in the Framework of Hybrid Media Systems: German and Russian Academic Perspectives. Global Media Journal. German Edition, 3(1), 1-12. http://www.db-thueringen.de/servlets/DerivateServlet/Derivate-27640/GMJ5_Litvinenko_final.pdf

Bodrunova, S., & Litvinenko, A. (2013). Hybridization of the Media System in Russia: Technological and Political Aspects. In E. Vartanova (Ed.), World of Media 2012 (pp. 37-50). Moscow State University.

Bodrunova, S., & Litvinenko, A. (2013). New Media and the Political Protest: The Formation of a Public Counter-sphere in Russia of 2008-2012. In A. Makarychev & A. Mommen (Eds.), Russia’s changing economic and political regimes (pp. 29-65).  Routledge.  https://www.routledge.com/products/9780415641715

Litvinenko, A. (2012). Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on eGovernment in Barcelona: Social media and perspectives of liquid democracy on the example of political communication of the pirate party in Germany, pp. 403-408. Spain: Barcelona.

Litvinenko, A. (2012). Proceedings of International Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government 2012: The role of social media in political mobilization in Russia (On the example of parliamentary elections 2011). Austria: Danube University.

Litvinenko, A. (2020). [The Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism, by A. Gulyas, D. Baines . Global Media Journal – German Edition, 10(2).

Litvinenko, A. (2020). Social Media in Russia: Between State and Society. Russian Analytical Digest No. 258. https://css.ethz.ch/en/publications/rad/details.html?id=/n/o/2/5/no_258_media_capture

Litvinenko, A., & Nigmatullina, K. (2020). Local Dimensions of Media Freedom: A Comparative Analysis of News Media Landscapes in 33 Russian Regions. Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization 28(3), 393-418. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/762321

Litvinenko, A., & Zavadski, A. (2020). Memories on Demand: Narratives about 1917 in Russia’s Online Publics. Europe-Asia Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2020.1791801

Bodrunova, S., Litvinenko, A., & Blekanov I. (2020). Please Follow Us: Media Roles in Twitter Discussions in the United States, Germany, France, and Russia. In R.E. Gutsche, Jr., K.Hess (Eds.), Reimagining Journalism and Social Order in a Fragmented Media World. Routledge. 

Bodrunova, S. S., Litvinenko, A., & Nigmatullina, K. (2020). Who is the Censor? Self-censorship of Russian Journalists in Professional Routines and Social Networking. Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884920941965

Bodrunova S., Blekanov I., Smoliarova A., Litvinenko A. (2019). Beyond Left and Right: Real-World Political Polarization in Twitter Discussions on Inter-Ethnic Conflicts. Media and Communication, 7(3), 119–132. https://doi.org/ 10.17645/mac.v7i3.1934

Bodrunova, S. S., Litvinenko, A. A., & Blekanov, I. S. (2018). Please Follow Us. Journalism Practice, 12(2), 177–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2017.1394208

Litvinenko, A., & Toepfl, F. (2019). The “Gardening” of an Authoritarian Public at Large: How Russia’s Ruling Elites Transformed the Country’s Media Landscape After the 2011/12 Protests “For Fair Elections”, Publizistik (published online first). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-019-00486-2

Fengler, S., Kreutler, M., Alku, M., Barlovac, B., Bastian, M., Bodrunova, S., Brinkmann, J., Dingerkus, F., Hájek, R., Knopper, S., Kus, M., Láb, F., Lees, C., Litvinenko, A., Medeiros, D., Orlova, D., Ozolina, L., Paluch, A., Radu, R., Stefanikova S., Veldhoen H., & Zguri, R. (2018). The Ukraine Conflict and the European Media: A Comparative Study of Newspapers in 13 European Countries.Journalism,2(2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884918774311

Toepfl, F., & Litvinenko, A. (2018). Transferring Control from the Backend to the Frontend: A Comparison of the Discourse Architectures of Comment Sections on News Websites across the Post-Soviet World. New Media & Society, 20(8), 2844-2861.

Bodrunova, S. S., Litvinenko, A. A., & Blekanov, I. S. (2017). Comparing Influencers: Activity vs. Connectivity Measures in Defining Key Actors in Twitter Ad Hoc Discussions on Migrants in Germany and Russia. In G. L. Ciampaglia, A. Mashhadi, & T. Yasseri (Eds.), Social Informatics: 9th International Conference, SocInfo 2017, Oxford, UK, September 13-15, 2017, Proceedings (Vol. 10539, pp. 360–376). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67217-5_22

Bodrunova, S., Smoliarova, A., Blekanov, I., & Litvinenko, A. (2017). Content Sharing in Conflictual Ad-Hoc Twitter Discussions: National Patterns or Universal Trends? In D. A. Alexandrov, A. V. Boukhanovsky, A. V. Chugunov, Y. Kabanov, & O. Koltsova (Eds.), Communications in Computer and Information Science. Digital Transformation and Global Society: Second international conference (Vol. 745, pp. 3–15): Springer International PU. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69784-0_1

Litvinenko A., & Kharuk I. (2016). „Unsichtbare rote Linien“: Internet-Regulierung und ihre Konsequenzen für den Online-Journalismus in Russland. Russland Analysen, 324, 2-5. http://www.laender-analysen.de/russland/pdf/RusslandAnalysen324.pdf    

Bodrunova, S., Litvinenko, A., & Blekanov, I. (2016). ACM International Conference Proceeding Series: Influencers on the Russian Twitter: Institutions vs. people in the discussion on migrants, pp. 212-222. https://doi.org/10.1145/3014087.3014106

Bodrunova, S., & Litvinenko, A. (2016). Fragmentation of Society and Media Hybridisation in Today’s Russia: How Facebook Coices Collective Demands. Zhurnal Issledovanii Sotsial'noi Politiki, 14(1), 113-124. https://jsps.hse.ru/en/2016-14-1/178312074.html

Bodrunova, S., & Litvinenko, A. (2015). Four Russias in Communication: Fragmentation of the Russian Public Sphere in the 2010s. In B. Dobek-Ostrowska & M. Glowacki (Eds.), Democracy and media in Central and Eastern Europe 25 years on (pp. 63-79). Peter Lang.

Litvinenko, A., Smoliarova, A., Bekurov, R., Puiy, A., & Glinternik, E. (2015). Mapping International Journalism in Post-Soviet Russia: Global Trends versus National Context. International Review of Management and Marketing, 5, 49-54.

Litvinenko, A. (2013). A New Definition of Journalism Functions in the Framework of Hybrid Media Systems: German and Russian Academic Perspectives. Global Media Journal. German Edition, 3(1), 1-12. http://www.db-thueringen.de/servlets/DerivateServlet/Derivate-27640/GMJ5_Litvinenko_final.pdf

Bodrunova, S., & Litvinenko, A. (2013). Hybridization of the Media System in Russia: Technological and Political Aspects. In E. Vartanova (Ed.), World of Media 2012 (pp. 37-50). Moscow State University.

Bodrunova, S., & Litvinenko, A. (2013). New Media and the Political Protest: The Formation of a Public Counter-sphere in Russia of 2008-2012. In A. Makarychev & A. Mommen (Eds.), Russia’s changing economic and political regimes (pp. 29-65).  Routledge.  https://www.routledge.com/products/9780415641715

Litvinenko, A. (2012). Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on eGovernment in Barcelona: Social media and perspectives of liquid democracy on the example of political communication of the pirate party in Germany, pp. 403-408. Spain: Barcelona.

Litvinenko, A. (2012). Proceedings of International Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government 2012: The role of social media in political mobilization in Russia (On the example of parliamentary elections 2011). Austria: Danube University.