Social media can spread stereotypes, fuel hate speech and turn prejudice into viral content. But it can also be a space where those same patterns are recognised, challenged and changed. Can a single post really spark social change?
That’s what Nataša Vajagić, leader of the Seksizam naš svagdašnji project and a speaker at this year’s SoMo Borac powered by Aleph, explores in an interview with Index.
From a single post to changing attitudes
The Seksizam naš svagdašnji project began as an effort to call out sexism and discrimination in the media and public sphere. Today, it brings together a community that identifies and challenges stereotypes, opening conversations about issues that often go unnoticed.
In the interview, Nataša discusses how social media has become a tool for raising awareness, why sexist attitudes can become so deeply normalised and the importance of community responses.
She also raises questions about the responsibility of publishers, brands and agencies in shaping public discourse. Because the content we consume every day doesn’t just reflect social attitudes; it can help shape them.
Have traditional media lost their audience’s trust along with their attention? And can trust still pay the bills?
In the second episode of SoMoCast, we’re joined by Marjan Novak, Partner and Publisher of Slovenia’s Marketing Magazin, a former BBC World Service correspondent and author of a book covering three decades of Slovenian advertising. He was also the first Director of IAB Slovenia and helped launch DIGGIT, one of Slovenia’s first major digital marketing conferences.
We explore whether creators have become the new media and why people happily pay for Netflix and Spotify, but are reluctant to pay for news. We also ask whether the algorithm has become the most powerful tabloid editor in history, and whether traditional media can remain relevant in a world where audiences increasingly discover information through social platforms and AI tools.
The conversation also turns to the future of advertising. What’s left for creative and media agencies if Meta and Google take over almost the entire process, from creating ads to measuring their own effectiveness? And will brands soon have to convince AI assistants instead of people?
From tabloids to TikTok, from the BBC to AI assistants, platforms keep changing. But the battle for attention and trust remains.
The cost of attention: you can buy reach, but not trust
Speaking of trust, what does it really cost brands to capture people’s attention today?
Ahead of SoMo Borac, we spoke with Marina Marinčić, Head of Digital Marketing at Kaufland Croatia, Sonja Stahor Gašpar, Global Digital Business Director at JGL, and Ana Milićević, Chief Digital Officer at CPD L’Oréal Adria Balkan.
In our article “Between Clicks and Trust: Why Attention Has Become Brands’ Most Expensive Currency”, they explore why impressions and clicks aren’t enough, how paid reach differs from genuine attention, and why authenticity, relevance and trust matter more than budget alone.
Maybe audiences haven’t lost their attention spans. They’ve simply lost patience with content that offers them nothing.
Let’s continue the conversation on 23.10. at SoMo Borac at Tvornica kulture in Zagreb.Expect a full-day conference program exploring the digital industry and the cost of attention, an awards ceremony celebrating the region’s best digital projects, and one awesome afterparty.
For content that’s worth your attention, you know where to be.
