by Maria Murumaa-Mengel, University of Tartu & Baltic Engagement Centre for Combating Information Disorders (BECID), Estonia.
Culture is often described as a “soft” force, yet in times of crisis, it reveals remarkable potential and importance. As Professor Emeritus in the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Tartu and Member of the Academia Europeana Marju Lauristin has noted: “Culture helps us cope even with the hardships of war”. In moments of profound societal strain, such as the current times of polycrisis, culture becomes a space where values are clarified, resilience is built, and collective meaning is sustained.
This understanding framed BECID’s recent webinar: ”How Art and Culture can counter Disinformation”, which brought together 172 participants from across the Baltic region. The strong turnout reflected a shared interest in how culture, art, and media can help societies respond to disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).
Songs that unite us
Examples are everywhere – the Balts still remember and cherish The Singing Revolution of the 1980’s that led to the restoration of independence of the three Soviet-occupied Baltic countries. Back then, public mass song festivals became a key element of resistance, as tens of thousands of participants sang “forbidden” national and folk songs in mass gatherings, blending cultural revival with political protest.
More recently, we have witnessed the power of one song – “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna”, in Ukrainian “Ой, у лузі червона калина”. In February 2022, the song (that was also banned under Soviet occupation) gained international attention when Andriy Khlyvnyuk, of the Ukrainian band BoomBox, sang the song in Kyiv, wearing combat uniform and carrying an automatic rifle. The song went viral on social media, telling the story of Ukrainian people. The story clearly mattered and united international audiences, as numerous variations and collaborations of the song were created, notably Pink Floyd’s use of Khlyvnyuk’s recording for the vocal track of “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!”. Furthermore, on 28th of June 2022 over 1,000 singers from more than 50 countries performed the song in what became the world’s largest online performance according to the Guinness World Book of Records.
Why culture matters
Music has always played an important role in social and political movements. It is not just a background noise of the political gathering, it is a strong narrative medium. The importance of music as a tool of conveying important messaging has been recognized by totalitarian states, nationalist movements and civil rights movements alike (Eyerman, 2002). Rosenberg (2013) highlights this emotional and furthermore mnemonic aspect of protest songs, claiming that protest songs become “a cultural social soundtrack of memories and minds”. Songs also tell stories. They follow a narrative arc to set stage, introduce characters and relationships, progress plot and build cognitive tension (Alberhasky & Durkee, 2024).
Obviously, it is not just the music, it’s culture in a broader sense. Culture can be understood in two complementary ways. On a broader level, it is a dynamic, learned, and shared system through which societies create meaning, express identity, and coordinate social life. On a more focused level, culture encompasses collective creative and symbolic practices, such as art, music, theatre, and performance, through which values, identities, and worldviews are questioned and communicated. It is precisely this meaning-making power that makes culture both vulnerable to manipulation and powerful as a tool of resistance.
How disinformation exploits culture
Disinformation and FIMI actors strategically target cultural identity markers such as national history, language, religion, traditions, and heritage. By manipulating these markers, they seek to fragment societies, disrupt collective identities, and erode trust. Common tactics include spreading false historical narratives, amplifying cultural grievances, and hijacking shared symbols and “cultural codes” to provoke emotional reactions.
Humour and familiarity make these narratives especially effective, embedding harmful messages in formats that feel safe and recognisable.
Rather than relying solely on false facts, disinformation often blends emotional and factual elements to rewrite reality. Revisionist myths, conspiracy-laden histories, fabricated cultural threats, and distorted portrayals of heroes or traditions are deployed across cultural products, from memes and music to films and social media trends.
Culture as a source of resilience
At the same time, culture offers powerful tools to counter disinformation. Resilient societies draw on cultural cohesion, shared values, and trusted narratives to withstand hostile information environments. Through shared stories, rituals, and symbols, communities can repair trust and reinforce social bonds.
The arts and the GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) play a crucial role as trusted storytellers. Disinformation thrives where people feel isolated or disconnected from credible local information sources. In contrast, local cultural networks – community centres, libraries, grassroots initiatives, and local media – can act as vital channels for reliable information and critical engagement. Familiar cultural voices increase credibility and help counter manipulative external narratives.
In our webinar, Lithuanian LRT journalist Tomas Valkauskas demonstrated how artistic forms of expression can be integrated into journalistic work against disinformation. He highlighted documentary storytelling in radio and television as particularly effective, and introduced two projects: the radio programme “Voice of Protest”, which explores music as a form of protest, and the podcast “Šaltibarščiai”, which uses informal conversations with artists from minority communities to unpack dominant societal narratives.
From Latvian examples, we had Joren Dobkiewicz from the New East Culture Institute who presented on how artistic and participatory practices can strengthen critical thinking and community resilience in information-disordered environments. Drawing on examples such as performances, exhibitions, and participatory art, he showed how culture can encourage audiences to question narratives and recognise manipulation. The mono-performance “Man and the Tyrant” served as a case study in how theatre can challenge authoritarian storytelling and foster narrative awareness.
Culture in the fringe areas
The webinar’s Estonian examples focused on the role of theatre in addressing information manipulations. Vaba Lava director Krista Tramberg and an actor shared insights from the production “Spy Girls”, which explores information manipulations, the darker practices of social media, data use, and media literacy. Noticed that I did not name the actor in the last sentence? For a good reason. As the collective explains: “We will never learn the real names of the performers in Spy Girls. Why? Because this production is more than just a story about cyber-activist operations in support of Ukraine’s defence, as it takes part in the actual espionage action against the Russian military. It takes place in the theatre – and it takes place for real.”
In the webinar, the creators reflected on the uncertainties of creating a performance that operates at the intersection of theatre, experimentation, and activism, including an unscripted element involving real-time contact with Russian soldiers at the front lines in Ukraine. The discussion raised ethical questions about artistic responsibility, disclosure, and trust, while highlighting the importance of strong community ties and institutional trust, which are lessons highly relevant for the wider GLAM sector.
Culture is not merely entertainment. It is a space for collective education, ethical reflection, and resistance. When technical solutions alone are insufficient, cultural practices can reach people emotionally, strengthen social trust, and help societies remain resilient in the face of hardships. This all should be taken into consideration when thinking about media and information literacies – how we tell stories to others and ourselves, what is the glue that keeps us together?
Author
Maria Murumaa-Mengel, Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Tartu & Baltic Engagement Centre for Combating Information Disorders (BECID), Estonia.
