A professor uses the Internet to stay in touch

Viktoriia Pogrebna is a professor of journalism studies at the Zaporizhia National Technical University. She says the Internet has become a vital part of both her work and her spare time.

"As a university professor, I use the Internet to get new information, but I also use it privately to inform myself about politics and as entertainment in my free time. I get most of my information online, as I hardly watch television. I even listen to radio online. I pay 130 UAH (€4.40 or $5) per month for Internet at home. I do not think that this is expensive, since I make use of it every day. When I am not at home, I use my smartphone to access the Internet, often with my mobile data package. We have Wi-Fi at the university, but not everywhere. I must say I do not agree with the blocking of Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki [Ukrainian authorities blocked the Russian social networks as part of their information war with Russia]. My friends from school live all over the world. Through Odnoklassniki, I kept in touch with them in Russia, Canada and the US. I tried to invite them to Facebook, but not everyone switched. So, I am disappointed that I am losing touch with these people. That’s all I used Odnoklassniki for, not to read propaganda."

The #speakup barometer is a DW Akademie project that examines the connection between digital participation, freedom of expression and access to information. Learn more at www.dw.com/barometer