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From an anthropological point of view, storytelling has been a central part of human life since the dawn of our consciousness. Storytelling has been the way in which knowledge, culture and values have been passed down through generations and was the principal wºay in which humans shared stories and created myths and legends to explain our existence here on the Earth.
The written word changed how stories are told and remembered and provided a physical copy of a tale that became the basis for the mental structures and thought processes that are dominant across cultures around the world. The spoken word and remembering stories, ballads, histories and songs required massive discipline which was usually tasked priests or knowledge keepers in our tribal societies.
The advent of monotheism and the spread of writing from the far east changed how we share stories and legends. Some stories would pass into the realm of mythology and would inherit a connection to a past that still was filled with magic and heroes.
At this same time, we should think about aboriginal peoples of Australia and Polynesian and their stories of creation. Unlike cultures that wrote down their stories of creation and eventually would codify them into myth and legend, aboriginal tribes used songs to create a map of the world around them and those songs also contained the mythology and origin of our existence and purpose on this Earth*. The enlightenment period shone a light on the European myths and revealed the intention or purpose behind them. And even this revelation we have numbers of stories and serendipities. Umberto Eco’s book on Serendipities is a great essay on how and why these serendipities happen.
Story telling is unique according to culture the ability to add images, sounds and tastes and smells allows a person to create a portal to a moment of time and transport their audience to the place where they want to be, feel, see and enjoy. Using multimedia gives the storyteller more tools to bring their audience on that journey.
*Bruce Chatwin “Songlines”
Art has the emotional and personal component to it that makes people stop in their tracks, think, move. It motivates, changes, and nudges towards action. It has the ability to cut through the noise, reach hearts and minds, and shine light on issues that quietly scream for attention. Art has become more than a medium of self-expression and artists don’t just create to fill galleries or portfolios - it is a voice for change, especially among young artists. Whether they’re focusing on issues like mental health, economic disparities, or education inequality, young artists are telling stories that are catching people’s attention and encouraging reflection.
These realizations hit me like jolts a few years back, during a workshop in the beautiful city of Sibiu, where I, an aspiring young painter that struggled with finding her voice and mostly took portraits art comissions,, met Romanian artist-activist Dan Perjovschi. Known for his bold art style that blends satire and social commentary, Dan’s work has a raw, unapologetic honesty that confronts issues head-on.
Our conversation about his work, where he explained how he uses minimalistic, almost cartoon-like sketches to bring attention to political corruption, environmental crises, and human rights issues, was a pivotal moment in my journey. It was then that I realized art could go beyond the personal—it could reach out, connect, and make people question the world around them. Dan told me that his inspiration often comes from “the things that others don’t want to see or talk about,” and he encouraged us to find our voices by tackling issues that matter deeply to us.
This experience completely reshaped how I approach art. From that day, I began to see my work as part of something bigger, something that could connect people across boundaries and inspire them to act. Now, as I look at the young illustrators and designers in Romania and around the world, I see echoes of Dan’s influence in the powerful visual storytelling they use to bring awareness to social issues.
Dan’s words have stayed with me over the years. I am aspiring at creating pieces that will shyly try to honour that conversation and contribute to the movement he inspired. And perpetuating these ideas to younger generations. Blending powerful storytelling with a commitment to social change—making art that doesn’t just decorate but challenges and connects.
Young Artists Leading the Way
Of course, being a young art activist isn’t always easy. Art already has its own challenges, and adding activism means artists might face criticism or even censorship. Creating art about tough topics, like inequality or mental health, can be emotionally exhausting, and many young artists experience burnout. Financially, it can be hard as well, especially if their work doesn’t fit the usual commercial art world, a struggle many Romanian artists are dealing with. Still, the passion young creators bring to their work is what makes it so powerful.
The Future of Art Activism
Young voices are essential in the art activism movement, bringing fresh ideas and daring perspectives. As technology advances, so do the possibilities for art activism. Virtual and augmented reality, interactive graphics, and more digital tools are giving artists new ways to tell their stories.
Art has always held a mirror towards society, but today’s young artists are using it to amplify their beliefs, dreams, and visions for a better world. Supporting them isn’t just about admiring their talent—it’s about standing with them on the issues that matter. Their courage and creativity are inspiring change, one powerful image at a time.
For those of us who are engaged in the art - engage the art! Dont just come in, look at an art piece, smile, nod, and go on about your day. If it moves you, let it move you. Let it spark conversation with the people around. Let it challenge your views and point out the things you can do to make the world better.
In today’s world, where information flows from a wide variety of sources, media literacy has become an essential skill for anyone wishing to engage meaningfully in civic life. Media literacy allows people to critically analyze information, recognize bias and misinformation, and make informed decisions as active participants in society. In this blog, we’ll explore what media literacy means, and why it’s crucial for civic participation.
What is Media Literacy?
Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms. True media literacy extends beyond understanding content to examining the intentions behind it, recognizing the methods used to influence audiences, and being aware of how media impacts society and individual beliefs.
Why Media Literacy Matters for Civic Participation
- Helps Combat Misinformation and Fake News
With the rise of social media and digital news, misinformation and fake news have become pressing issues. False information can spread rapidly, often misleading people on critical issues like elections, public health, and societal events. Media-literate individuals can better identify questionable sources and analyze whether information is accurate or misleading. This is essential to prevent manipulation and to make well-informed decisions.
- Fosters Critical Thinking and Informed Decision-Making
Media literacy encourages people to think critically about the information they consume. By questioning sources, understanding context, and evaluating the credibility of news, people develop a stronger basis for their opinions and actions. In a democracy, where citizens have a voice through voting, protests, and community involvement, informed decisions can mean the difference between an effective civic movement and one led astray by misinformation.
- Encourages Healthy Debate and Diverse Perspectives
Media-literate citizens are more likely to seek out diverse perspectives, which helps foster healthy debate and a better understanding of complex issues. This diversity is essential in a democratic society where various viewpoints should be considered to achieve fair and balanced solutions. Rather than accepting information at face value, media-literate people are willing to consider alternate perspectives and challenge their assumptions.
- Promotes Accountability in Media and Public Institutions
Media literacy empowers citizens to hold media outlets, political figures, and other public institutions accountable. When people have the tools to critically analyze news and public statements, they are more likely to demand transparency and ethical standards from those in power. This accountability is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy, as it compels leaders to act in the public’s best interest.
- Builds Resilience to Manipulation and Bias
Media literacy helps people recognize biased or manipulative content, whether it’s subtle framing or blatant propaganda. Political ads, viral videos, and even certain news outlets can subtly (or overtly) shape opinions by appealing to emotions rather than facts. Understanding these techniques builds resilience, empowering citizens to participate based on reasoned judgment rather than emotional reaction.
We are living in a world with a camera on every corner, every phone, all the time. That creates a certain awarenes of our image; be it our body weight, height, eye and skin color or even our ethnic background. Stupid, I know. But that's our reality. If you are an adult, this differences won't bother you or at least they shouldn't. But, like with a lot of things, it's a little different with teenagers.
Imagine being a teenager(if you're not one) in the first year of high school. New people, new surroundings, new knowledge waiting to be introduced to your young mind. You meet your new classmates and at first glance you see some differences in clothing style; maybe they're dressed according to their favorite music style or band, or some very personal style that feels comfortable for them. That's all fine and dandy. It seems nothing bad can happen, everyone appears nice and well mannered. BUT...
Here comes the internet. Annonymus, ruthless, potentially dangerous.
Imagine yourself (or just remember) coming home from school where you had a blast whit your new "friends", logging onto your Facebook page or Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok or whatever tickles your fancy and seeing a new comment under your post. HOW COOL! You think to yourself "Wow, my video/picture/post is spreading". Then you check the comment. "HAHAH, look how fat you are!", with added laughing smiley face. Not the kind of comment you expected, but hey, that's just one person so no harm done. But then your phone vibrates. A new comment: "You didn't have to eat ALL the burgers!". That now makes two. you maybe feel slightly bad about yourself, but hey, that's just two of them, right? Then your phone vibrates again. You don't feel like looking at the comment at first, so you wait a little bit. But the anxiety gets the better of you. You check your phone and an uncomfortable feeling rushes through your stomach. Another negative and mean comment. Now what? "What's wrong with me?", you ask yourself. "Is it my hair? My weight? Hight? The way I dress?" All this questions keep rattling around in your head. But hey.. There's still next day and next post.
You come home the next day and check your feed. Comments. Alot of comments. You don't want to open them, you don't want to see the mean comments. But the temptation gets the best of you again. You open up the comment section and, lo and behold, more mean comments.
This now happens every single day. Mean comment after mean comment. So much of them, a tear starts gathering in the corner of your eye. And then.. you close the comment section. "That's enough! No more!". And the posts slowly but surely stop appearing. "Fuck them!" you say and you no longer post.
Now the question arises. Are they right? Should their oppinions matter? The answer: NO! You are how you feel. If you feel great in your body and it's not hazardous to your health, you shouldn't care about others' oppinions. I know it's difficult to do that, but you should try anyway.
Enough of my rambling... What im trying to say is simple.
Just LOVE YOURSELF!
Social media has been without a doubt becoming an increasingly larger part of us teenagers’ lives. As such, it’s important to know the ways in which it affects us directly.
The Comparison trap
We are now at a time where we are constantly being bombarded with information in the form of images. The issue lies within the fact that they rarely tell the whole story behind the camera. It’s one thing to see celebrities in magazines; it’s totally different to see influencers and even friends seemingly living perfect lives with perfect bodies right on your phone. The mental comparison happens almost instantly and just as unknowingly, leading many youngsters to develop inadequate senses of self-worth. Research has shown the direct correlation between spending time on social media and feeling “not good enough”. And the teenagers aren’t to blame in this case, since they are put in this vicious cycle of consuming social media in the form of someone else’s highlight reel and comparing their whole lives, including their lowest points to that.
The far from perfect perfection
Apps and filters can make anyone look like the idealized version of themselves, but what’s worrying is that these tools make the line between reality and illusion very, very thin. It’s no longer just celebrities with access to Photoshop; now, anyone can alter their appearance with the tap of a finger. For teenagers, who are naturally critical of their appearance, these perfectly edited images set an unreachable standard.
A standard which the confused teenager is being pushed to fit into.
Many teenagers opt out for extreme levels of appearance alteration. Those, shown on social media, but not only, include:
Taking performance enhancing drugs in the form of steroids or other experimental concoctions;
Turning to unsustainable diets;
Exercising in impractical, unsufficient or even extreme ways - just because “an influencer does it”;
Turning to cosmetic procedures
The false sense of validation
Social media metrics like “likes” and “comments” can have a huge impact on how teens see themselves. Many teens post photos with the hope of receiving positive feedback; it’s become a form of validation. When those likes don’t roll in as expected, it can lead to feelings of rejection and self-doubt. The validation system that social media platforms thrive on is essentially teaching teenagers that their self-worth is tied to how attractive or “perfect” they look.
In a sense, social media simplifies (dumbs down) people to nothing more than a pile of flesh, skin and muscles.
What is there left to do?
The good news is that awareness is growing, and more people are starting to talk about these issues openly. Parents, educators, and even social media platforms have begun initiatives to combat the effects of body image pressures. For instance, some platforms are testing the removal of likes to shift focus away from validation, and campaigns promoting body positivity are helping to create a more inclusive and realistic portrayal of beauty.
But more than anything, it’s crucial to encourage teenagers to recognize the difference between reality and what they see online. Open conversations about self-esteem, body positivity, and the dangers of comparison can go a long way. It’s also helpful to remind teens that what they see on social media is often a highlight reel, not real life, and that real beauty isn’t something that can be edited in a photo app.
In our digital world, where communication often happens through screens, the power of audio can sometimes be forgotten. As a young female trying to navigate life, I've come to realize just how can sound impact on fostering emotional connections and empathy. Whether it’s a podcast that draws me into someone’s personal story, an audiobook that transports me to another world, or music that plays with my feelings. Audio has an unique ability to wake up emotions and create a sense of closeness. It invites us to listen, to feel, and to understand. In this blog, I’ll try to explore how audio can enrich our lives.
In today’s fast-paced world, audio is often overlooked as a tool for creating emotional connections. But as a 27-year-old woman, I have discovered that audio can deeply engage our feelings and foster empathy in ways that text or visuals sometimes can't.
When we listen to someone’s voice, we pick up on their emotions. The tone, pace, and even pauses can tell us so much about how they feel. For example, a podcast host sharing a personal story can make us feel like we are right there with them. We can laugh, cry, or reflect along with them, which builds a powerful bond.
Moreover, audio creates a sense of intimacy. Listening to a loved one’s voice or a favorite song can transport us to special moments in our lives. It helps us to remember experiences that shape who we are. In a world where we often feel disconnected, audio can be a bridge that brings us closer together.
In conclusion, audio is a powerful tool that can foster emotional connection and empathy. Whether through storytelling or music, it allows us to share and understand each other’s experiences in a deep and meaningful way. So, the next time you feel lonely or disconnected, try listening to your favorite podcast or song. You might find the connection you need.