This project will contribute data and informed opinion to help shape Myanmar and enhance global understanding of how citizens are using the digital world and digital tools in their quest to achieve freedom of expression and democratic political rights. The aims are to inform Myanmar’s political recovery and return to democratic politics, and enhance international understanding of crisis politics and the role of the Internet in modern political movements, such as the current citizen-led effort to restore democracy in the face of an intransigent military coup.
The project’s research teams will undertake online research on how citizens of Myanmar are responding, particularly in the online world, to the political crisis unfolding around them. As part of IDRC’s ongoing efforts to support digital citizenship initiatives in Myanmar, this research project will aim to highlight important developments in the political expressions of Myanmar’s citizens, particularly in the use of social media, mobile devices, and the Internet.
The field research teams will produce a digital diary of online content related to the political crisis, with a focus on different sectors of society and how they are responding to, and shaping, current events. It will also include content on how youth in Myanmar understand and are actioning their understanding of freedom of expression, with a focus on the online world. The research will hopefully lead to regional and international presentations in 2021 and beyond. Examples of such events include the digital RightsCon(ference) and Canadian Council for South-East Asian Studies events in 2021. Utmost care will be taken to maintain the security and safety of field researchers and research respondents.
Lead Partner
Outputs
Digital Myanmar
Ensuring digital safety for researchers
Two new papers on cyber scams and human trafficking
Shields up: Ensuring digital duty of care for Myanmar researchers
Hooked by hope: Social media as a Myanmar scam-worker recruitment tool
Scam haven: Responding to surging cyber crime and human trafficking in Myanmar
“Deadly posts” paper on online harm
Deadly posts: Examining and countering harmful social media content in post-coup Myanmar
Three new publications on digital aspects of Myanmar’s resistance