Media Lab > Solidarity (2023)

Media Lab > Solidarity is an innovative online media literacy program designed to strengthen social responsibility and solidarity among youth across Latvia and the Baltic region. Supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Latvia and delivered in partnership with Media Hub Riga, this program explores the powerful intersection of media, design, and digital tools as instruments to both influence and challenge public narratives.

Design has always played a crucial role in political communication — from iconic propaganda posters of the 20th century to contemporary digital campaigns, visual language shapes how societies perceive truth and ideology. In Media Lab > Solidarity, we unpack how design operates as a double-edged sword: a vehicle for positive mobilization or a subtle weapon of manipulation and polarization. Participants learn to critically decode the visuals and messages that saturate today’s digital world, training their eyes and minds to resist propaganda’s psychological grip.

The 2023 edition featured lectures by leading experts such as Pāvels Pancerko, who shared insights on using images and geodata to detect disinformation, and Daniil Vyatkin, an accomplished graphic designer and former art director at the Erarta Museum and Собака.ru. Daniil’s session illuminated how design techniques can be weaponized to brainwash and polarize, highlighting the urgent need for media literacy in the digital age.

Over the course of the program, young participants—including local leaders, activists, students, journalists, and communication professionals—engaged in interactive workshops and creative assignments aimed at enhancing their media literacy and digital storytelling skills. Through practical tasks, they explored how misinformation spreads, how propaganda exploits generational and social divides in the Baltic region, and how thoughtful media production can counter these effects.

More than just a learning experience, Media Lab > Solidarity fosters community dialogue and critical thinking, empowering the next generation to become informed creators and responsible consumers of media. Participants competed for prizes totaling over 1,000 euros, encouraging innovation and the practical application of their newfound skills.

This program exemplifies New East’s commitment to non-formal education that equips young people with the critical tools needed to navigate complex media environments, resist disinformation, and contribute to a more resilient and connected society.