Staging War: Information warfare on Telegram and TikTok during the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

In June, RMLN hosts Ramón Reichert from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, who will give a lecture “Staging War: Information warfare on Telegram and TikTok during the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Lecture will be held in hybrid format June, 8 from 13.00 to 14.30 (Helsinki time). If you want to participate online, please leave your contact information here until June, 7 noon: registration form. If you want to participate offline, join us in Helsinki at the Aleksanteri Institute (Unioninkatu 40C).

About the lecture: Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 we have been seeing the struggle of two opposing forms of strategic communication. On the one hand, the centrally controlled propaganda regime in Moscow. On the other hand, a grassroots movement in political communication: a variety of content (visual storytelling through photography, video, graphics, diagrams, and maps) from actors of different size that work together through a common goal and a common narrative. This research examines the different media strategies that are used in the context of visual, narrative, and technical-infrastructural (hashtags, trending topics, memes, and bots) ‘control’ of public opinion and collective memory. The lecture focuses on information warfare in Telegram and TikTok that take place during the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. Today a constant war feed on social media and online-platforms has emerged. Civilians, combatants, and soldiers use cell phones to record war victims, torture and cruelty, troop movements, destroyed military equipment and bomb attacks and disseminate them on Telegram and TikTok channels.

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Information foraging in online media environments: Online talk in May

In May, Daria Gritsenko from the University of Helsinki will present her research “Heuristics of doubt: Information foraging in online media environments”. Drawing on survey research in the UK and Poland, Daria explores what makes people doubt the credibility of information in Western and Eastern Europe and shows that while heuristics of doubt may be idiosyncratic, they are also influenced by policy and politics.

Online talk will be organized in Zoom May, 9 from 12:00 to 13:30 (Helsinki time). If you want to participate and get emails about the next online talks, please leave your contact information here until May, 8 noon: registration form. If you registered for Online talks or RMLN email list before, no need to register again, you will get the information.

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Deplatformisation of RT and Sputnik since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine: Online talk in April

In April, Sofya Glazunova from Queensland University of Technology will present a collaborative study “Auditing Policy Implementation by Digital Platforms: A Systematic Review of Actions against RT and Sputnik since Russia’s 2022 Invasion of Ukraine”. In this talk Glazunova covers how major digital platforms (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram) have implemented their content moderation policies towards RT and Sputnik accounts across ten countries. Dr Glazunova presents a new method, a platform policy implementation audit, to analyse various content moderation measures, and demonstrate its implementation by six coders after two months of the full-scale invasion. The audit shows largely inconsistent trends in platform policy implementation towards RT and Sputnik, as well as a wide catalogue of measures taken by tech giants. The talk is concluded with a discussion of the further implications and effectiveness of such content moderation measures for global digital audiences.

Online talk will be organized in Zoom April, 11 from 14:00 to 15:30 (Helsinki time). NB: Time has changed! If you want to participate and get emails about the next online talks, please leave your contact information here until April, 10 noon: registration form. If you registered for Online talks or RMLN email list before, no need to register again, you will get the information.

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Digital authoritarianism and IT business in Russia: Online talk on Russian media in March

In March, Olga Solovyeva from the Open University Business School  in the UK will present her research “Digital authoritarianism and IT business in Russia: the case of Yandex”.

Online talk will be organized in Zoom March, 14 from 12:00 to 13:30 (Helsinki time). If you want to participate and get emails about the next online talks, please leave your contact information here until March, 13 noon: registration form. If you registered for Online talks or RMLN email list before, no need to register again, you will get the information.

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Pumpkin latte scandal or social media controversy among Russian-language immigrants in Israel: Online talk in February

In February Varvara Preter from Ben Gurion University of the Negev will present her on-going research on recent immigrants from Russia in Israel.

Online talk will be organized in Zoom February, 14 from 12:00 to 13:30 (Helsinki time). If you want to participate and get emails about the next online talks, please leave your contact information here until February, 13 noon: registration form. If you registered for Online talks or RMLN email list before, no need to register again, you will get the information.

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Mediating climate change and energy business in Yandex Novosti and Russian-language Google News: Online talk in December

In December, Mika Perkiömäki from the University of Helsinki will present his ongoing research “Mediating climate change and energy business in Yandex Novosti and Russian-language Google News before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”. He compares the top 5 and top 6 news stories recommended by these two news aggregators in MarchNovember 2021 to those of MarchNovember 2022 and aims to find out if, and how, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected the way climate change, energy transition and the energy business in general are present in the newsfeeds.

Online talk will be organized in Zoom December, 13 from 12:00 to 13:30 (Helsinki time). If you want to participate and get emails about the next online talks, please leave your contact information here until December, 12 noon: registration form. If you registered for Online talks or RMLN email list before, no need to register again, you will get the information.

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Hybridization of civilian and military uses of mobile communication in the Russo-Ukrainian war: Online talk in November

In November, Roman Horbyk from Örebro University in Sweden will present his research “Towards the Mobile Phone Doctrine(s): Hybridization of Civilian and Military Uses of Mobile Communication in the Russo-Ukrainian War”. In this talk Horbyk will present the final results of a two-year research project on the major trends highlighting how a mobile phone—an ordinary civilian device—has become weaponized and turned into a hybrid tool that integrates a number of peaceful and combat functions.

Online talk will be organized in Zoom November, 8 from 12:00 to 13:30 (Helsinki time). If you want to participate and get emails about the next online talks, please leave your contact information here until November, 7 noon: registration form. If you registered for Online talks or RMLN email list before, no need to register again, you will get the information.

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The future of independent journalism in exile: Open discussion at Aleksanteri Conference

As part of Online talks on Russian media we organise open discussion on the future of independent journalism in exile. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many independent Russian media outlets relocated abroad. Facing the threat of fines and arrests, hundreds of journalists left the country, but not the profession. Individual journalists and collectives are trying to (re)establish their operations from abroad to serve Russian-language people with alternative news agenda and opinions.

Open discussion invites everyone interested in the topic to discuss the future of (Russian) journalism in exile. During the event we aim to address the financial, legal, organisational and other challenges and solutions needed to support sustainable and effective model of independent journalism from abroad. Having Russia as the main case, we also consider other countries like Belarus or Azerbaijan where journalistic freedom is threatened. 

Speakers:

  • Elena Rodina (independent scholar)
  • Artem Filatov (journalist, founder of ‘Opyt Svobody’ media project)
  • Mariëlle Wijermars (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, Finland)
  • Salla Nazarenko (Finnish Journalists’ Union) 

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through the prism of TV news around the world: Online talk in October

In October, Svetlana Pasti from Tampere University will present her co-authored research “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through the prism of TV news around the world”, where she studied the coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in news broadcasts of the main television news bulletins in Russia, China and Finland. The project was later expanded to include the respective TV news broadcasts in the rest of the BRICS countries – Brazil, India and South Africa – as well as in the UK and the USA.

Online talk will be organized in Zoom October, 11 from 12:00 to 13:30 (Helsinki time). If you want to participate and get emails about the next online talks, please leave your contact information here until October, 10 noon: registration form. If you registered for Online talks or RMLN email list before, no need to register again, you will get the information.

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Discourses of the Russian political communication and cultural diplomacy in Finland: Online talk on Russian media in September

Online talk in September hosts a kick-off seminar on the project “‘Russian World’ Next Door: Discourses of the Russian Political Communication and Cultural Diplomacy in Finland”. The project will be presented by Vera Zvereva, Tatiana Romashko and Rasa Žakevičiūtė from the University of Jyväskylä. Researchers will talk about the objectives of the study and the original goals of the project, and how they were affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Online talk will be organized in Zoom September, 13 from 12:00 to 13:30 (Helsinki time). If you want to participate and get emails about the next online talks, please leave your contact information here until September, 12 noon: registration form. If you registered for Online talks or RMLN email list before, no need to register again, you will get the information.

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