Salzburg Global Fellow Logan Ward presents a toolkit for a "strong global community that contributes to a flourishing, accessible knowledge base and maintains a radical acceptance of differences"
This article was written by Salzburg Global Fellow Logan Ward, who attended the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change session on “Belonging in the Age of Machines: Reimagining the Soul of Media" in July 2024.
If we aim to promote “Belonging in the Age of Machines,” we first must determine what the problems and side effects of not belonging are. These were diagnosed at the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change in thought-provoking presentations and in the large and small group discussions that followed. Thanks to this dialogue, and the exorbitant amount of espresso, I was granted the tools to create this toolkit. Each problem is accompanied by a solution, a goal to aim for, and an action to take. Let’s break down the meaning of each one.
1. How might we create belonging when we feel isolated?
Technology has led to a lack of community. Mental health is plummeting. When emotions are high, Media Academy faculty member Andrea Vilhena says that words can get in the way, and in these moments we need art to allow us to pause and experience presence. As an illustrator and journalist, this message resonates deeply with me, and it’s exactly why I bounce between drawing and writing. Each medium serves different topics and conveys different messages. Now that I have creatively collaborated with people from all around the world, I understand which emotions in my art and writing are most relatable to broad audiences. Understanding these subjective contexts that everyone is working from helps to ground me in my roots — helping me see where I fit into the global community we call humanity.
2. How might we build trust when everyone is biased?
Many of us are starting to accept that objectivity is impossible to achieve. Though, there are still many who say that neutrality should be the goal even if we can’t reach it. The director of the Media Academy, Paul Mihailidis, has taught me that the best way to build trust when sharing information is to be transparent. We can do everything in our power to give a neutral report, but ultimately the audience will still draw their own conclusions. We must trust the audience to draw conclusions by vulnerably sharing our own positionality. This leads to the most true information that we can provide — that our retelling of events is subjective. It is now the job of the audience to learn how to respond to vulnerability. When we embrace the imperfection of humanity, we accept transparent communication.
(And here is my transparency: as a journalist and trans man, I will never be considered an objective writer because my identity is so intensely politicized. I don’t mind this, because I want to write subjectively. I see through the color-coded pink and blue world we live in, and I want to offer my perspective to everything I write so that my community can continue to challenge dominant narratives.)
3. How might we increase knowledge?
When we become overwhelmed by information, this is called information anxiety — the impacts of which include decreasing attention spans and over-reliance on a single source. Ebonee Otoo, from The News Literacy Project, once said that “we typically follow and listen to people who sound like us or look like us — who are sharing the types of things that we want to hear.” Our emotions drive us into our own information bubbles. The only way to break this cycle is to push ourselves to engage with the information that does not resonate or strike any emotional cords with us. This is when we will have begun the real work of deep learning. As we continue to grow this knowledge base, we will feel more connected to the world around us. Our anxieties ease the more we understand the full plurality of voices globally, as well as the bigger historical context that we exist within.
4. How might we empower those who feel voiceless?
For those of us who are systemically oppressed, the feeling of powerlessness does not just disappear. We need to actively create spaces that empower people who feel voiceless. For this, Media Academy faculty member Chris Harris suggested “fugitive spaces.” These are temporary autonomous zones where we share power, center trust, and provide space to think, act, and feel without constraints. The dialogue produced from these pursuits rejects the capitalist-driven notions of shame and inadequacy. This opens us up to imagine new possible futures.
Protest in every form is necessary to dismantle the institutions that rule and oppress us. Regardless of the output goal, protest will always begin with a question. To truly activate our civic imaginations, we need to let go of the capitalist expectation that we will find answers. Then, the dialogue that follows our protest questions will allow space for accepting our imperfect selves and the incomplete nature of our world.
These ideas redefine solidarity, reminding me that truly holding space for others means listening without offering solutions. We remain equally invested in unpacking a problem, but we both know there will always be room for growth. This open-ended, consensual approach to civic engagement can build strong communities of citizens who feel that they are active participants in meaningful change.
This toolkit will serve me as I strive toward my utopia of a strong global community that contributes to a flourishing, accessible knowledge base and maintains a radical acceptance of differences. The Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change set an excellent example for what a pluralistic media landscape could someday look like. We were asked to listen and then respond. To share, and then listen. We all walked away with a better understanding of what others believe — which is ultimately what the overarching goal of media should be if we aim to facilitate "belonging in the age of machines."
This article was featured on Medium, which includes more coverage from the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change session on “Belonging in the Age of Machines: Reimagining the Soul of Media.”
The Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change is an annual program that convenes emerging leaders in media fields to build networks for positive change. If you would like to find out more about the Academy, please email , Faculty Chair and Program Director.
