My name is Gregory. I am a scholar in the field of global digital politics, covering key subjects such as the role of social media in civic engagement and social movements, digital authoritarianism, crisis communication, and the role of digital platforms in conflict zones. My research focuses on two main areas: how digital innovation can support new forms of political participation and enhance social resilience in the face of risks and crises, and the development of new forms of digital authoritarianism, particularly through novel forms of propaganda, internet regulation, and the governance of digital crowds.
Research areas:
My research is divided into several distinct strands:
1. The rise of disconnective power and the logic of disconnective action
2. The governance of crowds and vertical crowdsourcing
3. Participatory warfare and the role of social media in conflicts
4. Authoritarian diffusion in the digital domain
Recent key publications:
- Asmolov, G. (2026). Fact-checking in the multipolar AI order: Between epistemic sovereignty and ambivalence. Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-201.
- Asmolov, G. (2026). The rise of AI sovereignty: Authoritarian technological imaginaries as a form of reflexive control. Big Data & Society, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951726142645
- Asmolov, G. (2026) Digital Dimensions of Propaganda: Technological, Doctrinal, and Organizational Shifts in Authoritarian Strategic Communication, in Eds. Bruns, A., G. Enli, A. O. Larsson, J. Yarin Robinson, T. Bosch and K. Kasianenko, The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics (Second edition), Routledge, Available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003359524-5/digital-dimensions-propaganda-gregory-asmolov
- Asmolov, G. (2024). Governance through a crisis: Media Regulation in Non-Democratic Systems. In Eds.: Manuel Puppis, Robin Mansell & Hilde Van den Bulck, The Handbook of Media and Communication Governance. Elgar. https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap-oa/book/9781800887206/book-part-9781800887206-27.xml
- Asmolov, G. (2022). Internet regulation and crisis-related resilience: from Covid-19 to existential risks, The Communication Review, 25(3-4), pp. 235-257, DOI: 10.1080/10714421.2022.2129124
- Asmolov, G. (2022). The transformation of participatory warfare: The role of narratives in connective mobilization in the Russia–Ukraine war. Digital War Journal. 3(1), pp. 25-37, https://doi.org/10.1057/s42984-022-00054-5
- Asmolov, G. (2022). Russia, Ukraine, and the emergence of ‘disconnective society’, Riddle, https://ridl.io/en/russia-ukraine-and-the-emergence-of-disconnective-society/
- Asmolov, G. (2021). From sofa to frontline: The digital mediation and domestication of warfare. Media, War & Conflict, 14(3), 342-365. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635221989568
Some background info:
I am a Vice President of the ECPR Research Network on Digital Authoritarianism, a member of the Global Voices Online community council, and an affiliate of The International Panel on the Information Environment. I have conducted research as a visiting fellow at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, and worked as a research assistant at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University. Gregory holds a PhD from the Media and Communications Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (2016), an MA in Global Communication from George Washington University (2010), and a BA in Communication and International Affairs from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2007). Before embarking on an academic path, I worked as a Middle East correspondent and news editor for several media organizations.