Dr. Victoria Vziatysheva

Biography

Victoria Vziatysheva is a PhD student at the Institute of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Bern, focusing on search engine bias in the context of federal popular votes in Switzerland. She graduated from the joint Master's program in Global Communication and International Journalism at Freie Universität Berlin and St. Petersburg State University in 2016. Before coming to Bern, Victoria worked as a doctoral researcher in the group 'Platform Algorithms and Digital Propaganda' at the Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin. Her research interests encompass misinformation, propaganda, alternative news, and factors influencing trust in content. Victoria is adept in both quantitative and qualitative methods, employing surveys, online experiments, and content analysis in her research. In her prior academic career, she gained experience as a journalist. Her notable publications include proceedings from various conferences where she presented her findings on the use of search engines for political information among Swiss citizens. Victoria is also involved in teaching, with upcoming courses addressing algorithm biases and content analysis.

Research Interests