A recent study shows that despite the high level of media literacy in the society, many Estonians, especially the elderly, are susceptible to targeted propaganda on social networks, writes ERR News.
In recent years, there has been an increasing discussion in Estonia about the stability of information and media literacy. This is also facilitated by the increasingly widespread and intrusive spread of disinformation; such information is mostly negative, and attracts attention with extremism or controversy. Hate speech and disinformation, in turn, contribute to the polarization of society. However, positive and stable content does not generate the same consumer interest.
Maria Murumaa-Mengel, Associate Professor of Media Studies at the University of Tartu, and Inger Klesment, Media Literacy Specialist at the Baltic Media Literacy Center, emphasized that disinformation in Estonia is often created on the basis of existing divisions and contradictions in society.
According to researchers, the main distributor of targeted disinformation in Estonia is Russia, and the most common victims are the elderly.
One of the most widespread Russian disinformation narratives is about Estonia as a failed state.
A similar strategy was once used by Russia in Ukraine, which includes promoting content that questions the ability of the Republic of Estonia to function and the legitimacy of political decisions.
Another threat to security is nostalgia for the Soviet era. Propaganda portrays the time when Estonia was part of the USSR as an era of prosperity, and forgets to talk about the negative aspects of the communist regime. In addition, it also points to the collapse of Western values. Thus, NATO and the EU, as well as the values of liberal democracy, are demonized.
Soviet nostalgia propaganda uses the older generations, who remember that time as their youth.
Estonia is the only one of the Baltic countries that includes media literacy in its secondary school curriculum. The country also has a media literacy network with 28 participating organizations, bringing together private, public and third-party sectors. An annual Media Literacy Week is also held.
While propaganda has so far been more successful with the older generation, the Estonian Internal Security Service said that Russia is increasingly targeting the younger generation as its traditional supporters age and decline in number.
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