Since 2012, Global Media and Information Literacy Week, initiated by UNESCO, has been celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of media and information literacy and to help people consume information critically and effectively. Estonia joined this initiative in 2018. As part of Media Literacy Week, the National Library of Estonia has organised the Media Literacy Annual Conference for the past three years. This year’s conference took place on 24 October in the resort town of Pärnu, in cooperation with the University of Tartu, the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, the European Commission Representation in Estonia, the Government Office, and the Police and Border Guard Board. In the coming years we aim to bring the conference to various regions across Estonia.

The theme of this year’s conference was “How to Navigate the Information Overload?” Given that media literacy is a mandatory part of school curricula, the target audience included education specialists, youth workers, librarians, civil servants, and others. Practitioners in the field offered advice on managing and navigating large volumes of information. The event attracted 150 in-person participants, with presentations also available for online viewing. This year, an information and networking area was set up at the conference venue, where members of the media literacy network were invited to interact with participants and share their experiences.

The day began with a presentation by historian David Vseviov on the impact of disinformation throughout history. This was followed by a panel discussion on the role of cultural institutions in promoting media literacy and supporting educational activities. The focus was on how memory institutions can contribute to media literacy through educational programmes, exhibitions, and other initiatives.

In the afternoon, the conference continued with a media-savvy walking tour around the city of Pärnu, during which experts taught participants how to recognise messaging and influence within urban spaces. Following the tour, practical workshops were held on topics such as identifying misinformation created by AI, understanding the dark web, handling the negative influence of social media influencers, developing audiovisual literacy. At the close of the conference, a jury representing the organising institutions announced the year’s top media literacy advocates, recognising individuals and initiatives that have shown exceptional dedication to promoting media literacy within their schools and communities.