PhD candidate and teaching assistant | University of Geneva |
Exploring local alternative social media and the (digital) public sphere
Hey!
I'm Adrien, a PhD candidate and teaching assistant in political science at the University of Geneva. I am trying to understand how people make sense of what is happening around them and how that shapes their beliefs. I am particularly interested in the role that online tools play in this process. I use both qualitative and quantitative methods and focus on the American context. You can find my resume at the bottom of this page if you wish to know more.
After obtaining my M.A. in political science at the University of Geneva in August of 2022, I joined the political science and international relations department of the same institution in September of 2022. There, I teach two bachelor seminars: Introduction to scientific reasoning and Internet and Politics: Social Media and the Digital Public Sphere. I am also supervising students in a seminar as they develop and write their bachelor’s theses.
My dissertation is a case study of Burlington, Vermont’s largest city. I decided to focus on Burlington because it is home to a unique online platform, Front Porch Forum (FPF). FPF was created in 2006 to help neighbors connect and has grown into a community favorite and offers a wealth of uses, from finding lost cats to learning about what the City Council will discuss at the next meeting. This tool, coupled with a very civically minded population makes for a thriving and unique public sphere. By taking an in-depth look at how it functions I hope to contribute to research on social media by exploring the impact of a small platform at the local level. My study uses a wide range of methods: extensive fieldwork (+6 months in the field), semi-structured interviews (40+) and a survey (over 800 respondents).
My fieldwork was made possible thanks to the University of Massachusetts Amherst which sponsored my research scholar visa. At UMass, I joined the Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure lab led by my co-supervisor, Ethan Zuckerman. I am also a visiting fellow at the Center for Research on Vermont at the University of Vermont.
Most of my free time is dedicated to learning new things about America. I find joy in exploring American literature, music, history, politics and popular culture. If I am not in Geneva, you’re likely to find me in a used books store somewhere between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. I also love to hike in the Swiss Alps.
Feel free to reach out, I love meeting new people!
Thanks for your visit!
078 204 83 59
