Foreign Media Experts Discuss Disinformation and Digital Wellbeing at Estonia’s Media Literacy Conference

The fourth annual Estonian Media Literacy Conference Screens and Souls – Life in the Digital World brought together media researchers, teachers, librarians, educators and journalists to discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: how disinformation and information overload affect the wellbeing of individuals, communities, and societies. Estonian researchers were joined by experts from Finland and Switzerland to unpack the emotional, psychological, and political cost of living in the digital era.  

In an era when our lives unfold increasingly online the health of our digital environment directly impacts our mental and emotional stability. Attention economy, constant connectivity, and false narratives challenge our ability to focus, trust, and make informed decisions. The conference focused on how media literacy can serve as both a shield and a compass in navigating this complex landscape.  

The day opened with a keynote by Finnish disinformation and social media expert Pekka Kallioniemi, creator of Vatnik Soup, which is a project that exposes pro-Russian propaganda networks through social media threads, podcasts, and articles. In his talk The Post-Truth Threat: Disinformation and the Crisis of Democracy, Kallioniemi explored how false narratives both from within democracies and from hostile foreign actors, are weaponized to erode trust and destabilize societies. He illustrated how troll farms, which only require one handler, can amplify a message through tens of thousands accounts. Yet, Kallioniemi also pointed out potential solutions – watch his presentation here (in English).  

Swiss researcher Dr Anna Antonakis from the Bern University of Applied Sciences followed with an equally sobering perspective. Her lecture, Unpacking Digital Content Moderation: Policies, Automation and Mental Health, took the audience behind the screen — to the people whose job is to clean up the internet’s most disturbing content. Antonakis spoke about the mental health toll, low wage, and constant surveillance that define this hidden labor. Her presentation raised critical questions: who is responsible and who protects the mental health of those who protect us online? Can media literacy act as a sustainable safeguard for both users and moderators? Watch Dr Antonakis’ presentation on here (in English).  

The morning concluded with a dynamic panel discussion Survival on the Battlefield of Narratives, moderated by Maia Klaassen (University of Tartu, Estonia). Joining Kallioniemi and Antonakis was Martin Laine, an Estonian investigative journalist. Together they explored how disinformation strategies and political manipulation operate, undermine trust, and create divisions within society. Watch the discussion here (in English).  

The Media Literacy Conference was organized by the National Library of Estonia in cooperation with the University of Tartu, the Ministry of Education and Research, the European Commission Representation in Estonia, the Government Office, the Police and Border Guard Board, Rakvere State Gymnasium, and the Embassy of Finland. The conference is supported by the Swiss-Estonian cooperation programme project MediaRadar (2024–2028), implemented jointly by the National Library of Estonia and the Ministry of Culture. The project is co-funded by Switzerland to help reduce economic and social disparities within the European Union.