Elena Pilipets
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Elena Pilipets is a research associate in Digital Media and Methods at the University of Siegen (Ph.D. in Media Theory and Cultural Studies, University of Klagenfurt). Her work focuses on the processes of image circulation, with particular attention to the study of online platforms through combinations of visual and digital methods. Her main interest lies in the development of methodological variations for navigating networked visual and affective environments of social media. This includes online-grounded empirical investigations of Internet memes, TikTok videos, cross-platform war propaganda, and social bots, the latter being studied in the context of a working group funded by the Center of Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum. In Siegen, Elena develops collaborative teaching formats (workshops, seminars, data sprints) and offers BA- and MA-level classes on digital methods, media theory, and online (sub)cultures.
Research Interests
Internet Research, Affect Theory, Platform Studies, Memes, Digital Methods.
Screening European Populisms (2008-2020). Audiovisual Fiction, Social Media, and Political Affect
(Collaborative project, awarded a NetIAS Constructive Advanced Thinking grant, 2021-2024).
The project seeks to understand how fictional film and TV engages, promotes or challenges populist narratives, especially through emotional discourses.
In recent decades, populist forces have transformed the European landscape, challenging the legitimacy of institutions and representational systems. Frequently aligned with reactionary platforms, these actors rhetorically position themselves against the mainstream media, the elites and/or external enemies. Narrative work is a crucial element in populist affect, yet the role of audiovisual fiction remains understudied: grasping this relationship is necessary to disentangle populisms’ capacity to hegemonize the framing of contemporary European crises.
We aim to address this gap, by focusing on key contemporary films and TV series from the five largest markets in Europe - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The project will analyze these fictional narratives, trace their reception, interactions, and appropriations, with a particular emphasis on social media discussions. The collaboration with two stakeholder organizations working in youth participation and in media literacy will also enable a better understanding of the role of fiction in creating and spreading populist affect in the current conjuncture.
Key Publications
Pilipets, E (2023) Hashtagging, Duetting, Sound Linking. TikTok Gestures and Methods of (In)distinction. MAST. Journal of Media Art Study and Theory 4(1): 109-135. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59547/26911566.4.1.07
Pilipets, E, Paasonen, S (2020) Nipples, Memes and Algorithmic Failure: NSFW Critique of Tumblr Censorship. New Media and Society, OnlineFirst. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820979280
Pilipets, E (2019) #Netflix and Chill: The (Dis)Connected Body of Serial Binge-Viewer. In: Social Media + Society. Online First. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119883426
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