What is the report about?
It is a qualitative study on the online experiences, perceptions, skills, and behaviour of Myanmar users.
Why do we publish this report?
Our team hopes the report will help the civic tech sector, civil society organisations, and donors to better understand digital culture in Myanmar and its implications for policy and programming. Our ultimate goal is to enable the general public to safely navigate an increasingly diverse online ecosystem while making the most of the many opportunities it provides.
What are the key findings and recommendations?
It is a qualitative study on the online experiences, perceptions, skills, and behaviour of Myanmar users.
Why do we publish this report?
Our team hopes the report will help the civic tech sector, civil society organisations, and donors to better understand digital culture in Myanmar and its implications for policy and programming. Our ultimate goal is to enable the general public to safely navigate an increasingly diverse online ecosystem while making the most of the many opportunities it provides.
What are the key findings and recommendations?
Findings |
Recommendations |
Mobile apps that are data economical, e.g. Facebook, Messenger, etc.are the most popular. |
Civil society can improve the reach of literacy training by (1) providing mobile apps that allow users to download content cheaply and/or (2) providing learners with mobile data or unlimited wifi support. |
Entertainment videos are the most popular content type on smartphones. |
Public education providers should (1) incorporate an entertainment element into their curriculum in either video or graphic format and/or (2) adapt existing TV education programmes into mobile format. |
Humourous content is the most popular (and potentially most successful) online. |
Social campaigners should use playful creativity with elements of humour to gain online engagement. |
Most new smartphone users come online after they pass matriculation exam. |
Civil society working on education or youth issues should use popular platforms, such as Facebook and Youtube to offer learning courses. |
For young women who use Facebook, especially those of low digital literacy, they encounter prevalent online harassment or cultural prejudice. |
Gender should be mainstreamed into any programming with an online element. The private sector may find opportunities in designing female-friendly ICT with strict guidelines on harassment. |
Myanmar users use Facebook as the internet because it is more responsive to search and thus offers quality content. |
If you want your content seen, make sure it is searchable. |
Many users make as many accounts as they like, which does not always suggest malicious intent. |
Civil society should rethink the way they address the prevalence of so-called “fake accounts.” |
Users are aware of the prevalence of negativity and misleading content on Facebook. |
Information literacy, empathy, and safety tips will all help users improve their ability to create positive digital ecosystems. |
Young adults learn through reading and watching mobile content. |
Pages can build audience trust by offering higher-quality content and monitoring comments to ensure bad actors are not derailing discussion. |
Western notions of privacy may not map to Myanmar directly. Password-protected phones might mean that other people could not respond to emergencies. |
When thinking about security, we need to keep in mind that multiple users may access the internet from the same device. |
Most Facebook users have been exposed to a barrage of negative online content that they are not equipped to deal with. |
When thinking about security, we need to keep in mind that multiple users may access the internet from the same device. |
Why are the report’s sub-headings in question form?
We present our findings in the form of questions that we hope will productively challenge assumptions that are widely accepted as true. Although our understanding of some social and digital phenomena may be shallow, we hope the report will spark curiosity for further research.
What is the research methodology?
Over a six-month period between October 2018 and March 2019, we conducted 23 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 137 participants (78 women and 59 men) in 6 locations: Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon, Meikhtila, Taunggyi, Kalay, and Hpa-an. The discussions focus on four main themes: digital literacy, digital culture, interaction with digital technology, and safety and concerns.
What is the sampling method?
We use purposive and snowball sampling to recruit participants. The sampling criteria emphasises diversity, and thus ensure participants were balanced in gender, educational background, and age.
We present our findings in the form of questions that we hope will productively challenge assumptions that are widely accepted as true. Although our understanding of some social and digital phenomena may be shallow, we hope the report will spark curiosity for further research.
What is the research methodology?
Over a six-month period between October 2018 and March 2019, we conducted 23 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 137 participants (78 women and 59 men) in 6 locations: Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon, Meikhtila, Taunggyi, Kalay, and Hpa-an. The discussions focus on four main themes: digital literacy, digital culture, interaction with digital technology, and safety and concerns.
What is the sampling method?
We use purposive and snowball sampling to recruit participants. The sampling criteria emphasises diversity, and thus ensure participants were balanced in gender, educational background, and age.
How are the discussion guides developed?
In October 2018, the team conducted a pilot study with three FGDs in Hlaing Thar Yar. Based on the data collected, the team revised the questionnaire and the method of inquiry.
How are FGD groups constructed?
Realising after the pilot that the mobile users’ behaviours and experiences were highly gendered, the team decided to separate men and women moving forward.
In October 2018, the team conducted a pilot study with three FGDs in Hlaing Thar Yar. Based on the data collected, the team revised the questionnaire and the method of inquiry.
How are FGD groups constructed?
Realising after the pilot that the mobile users’ behaviours and experiences were highly gendered, the team decided to separate men and women moving forward.
What further research does the report suggest?
- Research conducted in other Myanmar languages in other states and regions
- Nationwide representative survey to map the general trends and patterns in digital and mobile cultures across the country, e.g. behaviours of news consumption on mobile phones.
- In-depth individual interviews to build trust and comfort and probe more on sensitive issues, i.e. the effects of negative experiences, hate, or discrimination that marginalised groups encounter online and their coping mechanisms
- Experiments to test the potential effect of our policy recommendations
