Prof. Dr. Florian Töpfl
Lehrstuhlinhaber
Forschungsinteressen
In seinen aktuellen Forschungsarbeiten untersucht Prof. Dr. Florian Töpfl den informationellen Einfluss russischer Eliten auf ausländische Medienpublika. In früheren Projekten beschäftigte er sich mit den Beziehungen zwischen neuen Medien und Politik in nicht-demokratischen Regimen, wobei der geographische Fokus hierbei auf Russland und der postsowjetischen Region lag.
Außerdem interessiert sich Prof. Dr. Töpfl für die politische Kommunikation von antidemokratischen Gegenöffentlichkeiten in westlichen Demokratien.
Zur Erforschung dieser Themengebiete bedient sich Prof. Dr. Töpfl qualitativer, quantitativer und neuer computergestützter sozialwissenschaftlicher Methoden der Datensammlung und -analyse.
Sprechzeiten
- nach Vereinbarung
Seit Oktober 2020
- Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für Politische Kommunikation mit Schwerpunkt auf Osteuropa und die postsowjetische Region an der Universität Passau
Seit November 2019
- Leiter des ERC-Consolidator-Projektes The Consequences of the Internet for Russia’s Informational Influence Abroad (RUSINFORM) an der Universität Passau
Oktober 2014 bis Oktober 2019
- Leiter der Emmy-Noether-Forschungsgruppe Mediating Semi-Authoritarianism: The Power of the Internet in the Post-Soviet Region an der Freien Universität Berlin
Oktober 2017 bis März 2018
- Vertretungsprofessor (W3) am Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft und Medienforschung an der Ludwig-Maximilians-University in München
Oktober 2012 bis September 2014
- Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowim Department of Media and Communications an der London School of Economics and Political Science
- Titel des Projektes: Mediating Semi-Authoritarianism – The Power of the Internet in Russia (MESAPORUS)
Juli 2012 bis Mai 2017
- Habilitation im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft an der Ludwig-Maximilians-University in München
- Titel des Projektes: Mediating Semi-Authoritarianism. The Power of the Internet in Russia (Fachmentorat: Michael Meyen, Barbara Pfetsch, Carsten Reinemann)
September 2011
- Visiting Research Fellowship im Sociology Department an der Higher School of Economics in Sankt Petersburg
Februar 2011 bis September 2012
- Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft und Medienforschung an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in München
August 2010 bis Oktober 2010
- Visiting Research Fellowship am Aleksanteri Institute for Russian and Eastern European Studies in Helsinki
September 2009 bis Mai 2010
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow am Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies an der Columbia University in New York
April 2009 bis August 2009
- Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Geschwister-Scholl-Institut für Politikwissenschaft an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in München
November 2005 bis Juli 2009
- Promotion im Fach Politikwissenschaft an der Universität Passau
- Titel der Dissertation: Media Systems in Transition. How Do Pluralistic Media Systems Emerge – and Why Not? (Kommittee: Heinrich Oberreuter, Ralf Hohlfeld)
Mai 1998 bis Mai 2005
- Diplomstudium in International Business and Eastern European Cultural Studies an der Universität Passau
- Sprachen: Russisch, Tschechisch, Italienisch
Weitere Informationen finden Sie im Curriculum Vitae von Prof. Dr. Florian Töpfl.
2026
Poliakoff, S., & Toepfl, F. (2026). Prigozhin’s Propaganda Team: The St Petersburg Internet Research Agency (2013–2021). Europe-Asia Studies, 78(1), 91–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2025.258833
Poliakoff, S.; Toepfl, F.; Kling, J. (2026): ANO Dialog: innovation in controlling Russia’s digital information. In: Post-Soviet Affairs, 42(1), 107–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586X.2025.2559218
Beseler, A., Toepfl, F., Kravets, D., & Kling, J. (2026). Disrupting or invigorating an anti-democratic counterpublic? How highly active commenters engage on RT German’s Facebook page. New Media & Society, Article 14614448251413136. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251413136
2025
Beseler, A., & Toepfl, F [Florian] (2025). Conduits of the Kremlin's Informational Influence Abroad? How German-Language Alternative Media Outlets Are Connected to Russia's Ruling Elites. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 30(3), 659–678. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241230284
Kling, J [Julia], & Poliakoff, S. (2025). Facebook, the EU and Russia’s war: Challenges of moderating authoritarian news. Internet Policy Review, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.14763/2025.3.2036
Kling, J [Julia], Toepfl, F [Florian], & Jürgens, P. (2025). Entertainment interspersed with propaganda: how non-legacy-news accounts deliver explicitly political content to mass audiences on Russia’s most popular social network VK. Information, Communication & Society, 28(7), 1252–1269. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2420029
Poliakoff, S. (2025). Nach dem Aufstand: der Untergang von Jewgenij Prigoschins digitalem Imperium. Russland-Analysen(464), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.31205/RA.464.03
Poliakoff, S. (2025). Trolls Behind the Mask of Journalists: How Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Patriot Media Group Was Organized. Problems of Post-Communism, 72(5), 416–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/10758216.2024.2438336
Poliakoff, S., Toepfl, F [F.], & Kling, J [J.] (2025). ANO Dialog: innovation in controlling Russia’s digital information. Post-Soviet Affairs, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586X.2025.2559218
Ryzhova, A., & Toepfl, F [Florian] (2025). The Consequences of Evidence- Versus Non-Evidence-Based Understandings of the “Truth”: How Russian Speakers in Germany Negotiate Trust in Their Transnational News Environments. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 30(1), 326–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241257872
Töpfl, F. (2025). Brutalisierung und Repression. Osteuropa, 75(1-3), 351–364. https://doi.org/10.35998/oe-2025-022
2024
Kravets, D., Beseler, A., Toepfl, F., & Ryzhova, A. (2024). The Kremlin-Controlled Search Engine Yandex as a Tool of Foreign Propaganda. Russian Analytical Digest, 313, 11–15. https://css.ethz.ch/en/publications/rad/rad-all-issues-and-articles/details.html?id=/n/o/3/1/no_313_russian_foreign_propaganda_in_occ
Ryzhova, A., & Toepfl, F. (2024). The Consequences of Evidence- Versus Non-Evidence-Based Understandings of the “Truth”: How Russian Speakers in Germany Negotiate Trust in Their Transnational News Environments. The International Journal of Press/Politics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241257872
Beseler, A., & Toepfl, F. (2024). Conduits of the Kremlin’s Informational Influence Abroad? How German-Language Alternative Media Outlets Are Connected to Russia’s Ruling Elites. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 0(0). Advanced Online Publication. doi.org/10.1177/19401612241230284
2023
Kravets, D., Ryzhova, A., Toepfl, F., & Beseler, A. (2023). Different platforms, different plots? The Kremlin-controlled search engine Yandex as a resource for Russia’s informational influence in Belarus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journalism. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849231157845
Toepfl, F., Ryzhova, A., Kravets, D., & Beseler, A. (2023). Googling in Russian Abroad: How Kremlin-Affiliated Websites Contribute to the Visibility of COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories in Search Results. International Journal Of Communication, 17, 1126–1146. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/19423/4042
2022
Toepfl, F., Kravets, D., Ryzhova, A., & Beseler, A. (2022). Who are the plotters behind the pandemic? Comparing Covid-19 conspiracy theories in Google search results across five key target countries of Russia’s foreign communication. Information, Communication & Society, 26(10), 2033-2051. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2065213
Kling, J., Toepfl, F., Thurman, N., & Fletcher, R. (2022). Mapping the website and mobile app audiences of Russia’s foreign communication outlets, RT and Sputnik, across 21 countries. Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review, 3(6). https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-110
Zerback, T., & Toepfl, F. (2022). Forged examples as disinformation: The biasing effects of political astroturfing comments on public opinion perceptions and how to prevent them. Political Psychology, 43(3), 399-418. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12767
2021
Kravets, D., & Toepfl, F. (2021). Gauging Reference and Source Bias Over Time: How Russia’s Partially State-Controlled Search Engine Yandex Mediated an Anti-Regime Protest Event. Information, Communication & Society, 25(15), 2207-2223.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1933563
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, 9(4), 384-405. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1888137
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 [Link to a free post-peer-review version]
2020
Kunst, M., Toepfl, F., & Dogruel, L. (2020). Spirals of speaking out? Effects of the “suppressed voice rhetoric” on audiences’ willingness to express their opinion. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 64(3), 397-417.https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2020.1796390 [Link to a free post-peer-review version]
Zerback, T., Toepfl, F., & Knoepfle, M. (2020). The disconcerting potential of online disinformation: Persuasive effects of astroturfing comments and three strategies for inoculation against them. New Media & Society, 23(5), 1080-1098. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820908530[Link to a free depository version]
Toepfl, F. (2020). Comparing authoritarian publics. The benefits and risks of three types of publics for autocrats. Communication Theory, 30(2), 105-125. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtz015[Link to a free depository version]
2019
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, 64, 225-240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-019-00486-2[Link to a free depository version]
Zavadski, A., & Töpfl, F. (2019). Querying the Internet as a mnemonic practice: how search engines mediate four types of past events in Russia. Media, Culture & Society, 41(1), 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443718764565[Link to a free depository version]
2018
Töpfl, F. (2018). From connective to collective action: Internet elections as a digital tool to centralize and formalize protest in Russia. Information, Communication & Society, 21(4), 531-547. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1290127[Link to a free depository version]
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. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817733710[Link to a free depository version]
Toepfl, F., & Piwoni, E. (2018). Targeting dominant publics: How counterpublic commenters align their efforts with mainstream news. New Media & Society, 20(5), 2011-2027. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817712085[Link to a free depository version]
Toepfl, F. (2018). Innovating consultative authoritarianism: Internet votes as a novel digital tool to stabilize non-democratic rule in Russia. New Media & Society, 20(3), 956-972. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816675444[Link to a free depository version]
2016
Toepfl, F. (2016). Beyond the Four Theories: Toward a discourse approach to the comparative study of media and politics. International Journal of Communication, 10(2016), 1530–1547. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/4669[Link to a free depository version]
2015
Toepfl, F., & Piwoni, E. (2015). Public Spheres in Interaction: Comment Sections of News Websites as Counterpublic Spaces. Journal of Communication, 65(3), 465–488. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12156[Link to a free depository version]
2014
Toepfl, F. (2014). Four facets of critical news literacy in a non-democratic regime: How young Russians navigate their news. European Journal of Communication, 29(1), 68-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323113511183[Link to a free depository version]
2013
Toepfl, F. (2013). Why do pluralistic media systems emerge? Comparing media change in Russia and the Czech Republic after the collapse of Communism. Global Media and Communication, 9(3), 239-256. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742766513504176[Link to a free depository version]
Toepfl, F. (2013). Making Sense of the News in a Hybrid Regime: How Young Russians Decode State TV and an Oppositional Blog. Journal of Communication, 63(2), 244–265. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12018[Link to a free depository version]
2012
Toepfl, F. (2012). Blogging for the Sake of the President: The Online-Diaries of Russian Governors. Europe-Asia Studies, 64(8), 1437-1461. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2012.712261[Link to a free depository version]
2011
Toepfl, F. (2011). Managing Public Outrage. Power, Scandal, and New Media in Contemporary Russia. New Media & Society, 13(8), 1301-1319. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444811405021[Link to a free depository version]
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