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Myanmar Migrants and Social Media: A Digital Ethnogprahy of Charisma Signalling
Team Member: Nang Lao Wann Si
Social media presents a tremendous opportunity for supporting Myanmar migrants in Thailand. Leaders of informal migrant support organisations have taken advantage of this platform and have successfully built large followings among migrants. To understand the dynamics of this engagement, this study employs netnography, a digital ethnographic approach, to analyse the interaction between Myanmar migrant leaders and their followers on social media.
The study focuses on the Facebook pages of these migrant support organisations, examining the posts, images, captions, and comments made by the administrators. The findings reveal that migrant leaders use charismatic signalling to attract a following and expand their support for migrants. They use verbal and non-verbal techniques to establish moral authority among Myanmar migrants.
The study illustrates how migrant leaders use metaphors, goal-setting, rhetorical questions, contrast drawing, and the demonstration of conviction and personal sacrifice to signal charisma and engage with migrant workers. It makes an important contribution to understanding charisma within Myanmar culture and how offline signalling methods are deployed within online settings.
Gig Economy Riders on Social Media in Thailand: Contested Identities and Emergent Civil Society Organisations
Team Member: Dr Daniel McFarlane, Yannik Mieruch
The emergence of the gig economy has generated a new class of workers who are categorised as independent “partners” instead of employees with rights to labour protection. Civil society research has neglected to analyse such groups within the gig economy. Triggered by observations of a protest movement by platform-based delivery riders in Thailand, we engaged in seven months of digital ethnographic research of riders’ interactions online to understand the emergence of informal groups facilitating mutual aid and collective action. The study finds that social media is a site for developing and contesting identity narratives. We observed a “Hero” narrative that glorifies delivery riders' independent status and a “Worker” narrative that challenges riders' conditions. We argue that these collective identity narratives crucially facilitate or inhibit the emergence of labour-oriented civil society organisations, thus contributing to third-sector research that examines civil society in the Global South.<
This study focuses on several of CDS’s core research areas. First and foremost, it is concerned with the impacts of digital technology on society, in this case, the delivery sector of the economy. However, it also highlights the overlap between online and offline worlds by adopting digital ethnographic methods. Furthermore, it is deeply rooted in the emancipatory spirit of CDS, aiming to showcase pathways towards a more just and equitable use of digital technologies. In this spirit, the online communities of gig economy riders can show us that digital spaces are contested and can play a significant role in either furthering or hindering a sustainability agenda.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11266-022-00547-7
The Sustainability of Community Connectivity Projects
Team Member: Dr Daniel McFarlane, Yannik Mieruch
To support the ITU’s Smart Village and Smart Island initiatives, the ITU and ISOC commissioned CDS’s Daniel McFarlane to develop case studies highlighting success factors from past initiatives, exploring new dimensions to enhance sustainability, and providing recommendations on the sustainable delivery of digital connectivity projects. The goal is to create a reference for developing and delivering connectivity initiatives by drawing on past experiences and leveraging current engagements. The study is supported by CDS team member Yannik Mieruch.
The key learnings from the case studies on connectivity initiatives in Asia and the Pacific include the importance of a broad multistakeholder coalition for sustainability, successful engagement with local communities through upskilling and training, adaptability in organizational models to fit the context, appropriate technology to support various sustainability dimensions, relevant services to the local community, and consideration of marginalized groups within the community. The case studies also demonstrate the potential of connectivity initiatives to empower local livelihoods and improve socio-cultural sustainability. Overall, flexibility and creativity in technological, organizational, and financial solutions are crucial for sustainability, and effective relationships between stakeholders are enabled by appropriate technology. Engagement with and support from local government and academic institutions are also important for the sustainability of connectivity initiatives.
Digital Ecosystem of Myanmar Migrants in Samut Sakhon
Team Member: Nang Lao Wann Si
Supported by the grant from Partners Asia, this study based on qualitative research highlights the complexities and vulnerabilities of the lives of Myanmar migrants in Samut Sakhon. The research shows that these workers face numerous challenges, including discrimination, harassment, and exploitation by authorities. However, it also shows the resilience and resourcefulness of migrants as they navigate their daily lives and finds ways to connect with support systems and sources of information. The study underscores the importance of digital tools, such as mobile phones, in their lives, even as they can create new risks and vulnerabilities.
The research also sheds light on the role of telecommunications companies in the lives of migrants. Rather than just being seen as cheap labour, the study shows that these companies view migrants as an important market and a valuable source of revenue. This highlights the need for companies to be more sensitive to the needs and rights of migrants and to take a more responsible approach to their engagement with this vulnerable population.
Finally, the study highlights the valuable work of organizations like LPN, which provide support and training to migrants. These organizations play a crucial role in helping migrants to navigate the challenges of their daily lives and to access the resources and information they need to build better futures for themselves and their families. The findings of this research can help Partners Asia and other organizations to understand better the needs and challenges of Myanmar migrants in Samut Sakhon and to develop more effective programs and initiatives to support them.
ITU Girls in ICT – Digital Skills Training for Myanmar Migrants
Team Member: Nang Lao Wann Si
A CDS team led by Wann Si Nang Lao partnered with the ITU to conduct digital skills training for migrant girls in Thailand as part of the International Girls in ICT Day 2022. The theme of the Girls in ICT 2022 was “Access and Safety” in celebration of International Girls in ICT Day 2022. According to the ITU, “for girls and young women to thrive in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers, they need safe and reliable access to the internet and digital tools.” So, Wann Si and her team coordinated with migrant learning centres to deliver basic ICT skills and Internet safety for migrant girls to access and navigate the online world effectively and safely. The training was conducted in the Burmese language onsite and online. To ensure access to computers at the migrant learning centre, the team fundraised and accepted donations of discontinued computers to establish a computer lab at the centre.
UNESCO 2023 regional report on technology and education in Southeast Asia
Team Member: Dr Dipendra KC
Dr Dipendra KC was commissioned by UNESCO to contribute a chapter on technology and education in Thailand for the UNESCO 2023 regional report on technology and education in Southeast Asia. His chatper discusses the challenges faced by education systems in Thailand and how technology can potentially help in addressing three key issues: equity and inclusion, quality, and system management. The chapter details how technology can help disadvantaged learners in remote areas, with disabilities or special needs, who speak different languages and are constrained by time. However, the chapter also highlights the challenges faced in ensuring that access to technology and content is equal for all learners. In addition, the chapter examines the challenges of improving basic skills and digital skills through technology, including how to design effective software to help students learn at their own pace, combat misinformation and disinformation, and create digital content. The chapter highlights examples where technology has helped improve learning outcomes in reading and mathematics, as well as where it has failed to deliver expected results. The chapter emphasizes that education systems need to assess and anticipate skills needs, develop competence frameworks, issue guidelines, draft curricula, design courses, and allocate resources effectively to make the most of technology in education.
E-learning in Thailand: Mapping the digital divide
Team Member: Dr Dipendra KC
CDS's Dipendra KC was commissioned in 2020 to map internet connectivity of schools in Thailand, which resulted in the publication of a report "E-learning in Thailand: Mapping the digital divide".
COVID-19 affected over 60% of enrolled learners globally and over 15 million in Thailand alone, leading to the closure of all educational institutions in Thailand during several rounds of lockdowns. The shift to online learning posed considerable challenges and highlighted the importance of digital infrastructure for school education. In response, Dipendra worked with the ITU and partners, including the UNRC, UNICEF and UNESCO, to map the digital divide in the context of school education in Thailand, presenting data on access to digital devices and Internet connectivity among Thai students at school and home.
The study found that 97.47% of schools were connected to the Internet, with subtle connectivity differences between schools across different regions reflecting the digital divide. On average, 17 students shared one computer at school, with significant gaps in school principals' opinions on the adequacy of computing devices depending on location, socio-economic status, and whether the school was public or private.
Access to Internet connectivity in the home is an essential indicator of e-learning readiness, and the study found disparities across different socio-economic strata. Only 59% of households from the provinces in the bottom quartile of GPP per capita had an Internet connection in the home, compared to 79% in the top quartile, with most households in the bottom quartile left behind by e-learning initiatives that require a computer and Internet access.
To address these gaps, the study provides specific recommendations, such as improving the quality and availability of data on the status of school connectivity and setting guidelines for the Internet and devices in schools. It also emphasizes enhancing connectivity information to include the community and increasing the availability of information on traffic and bandwidth use from schools. Additionally, it recommends improving the affordability of Internet connectivity for students and assessing the impact of e-learning on education outcomes.
GIGA: Empowering Communities in Asia Pacific Through School Connectivity
Team Member: Dr Daniel McFarlane, Yannik Mieruch
In 2020, the ITU commissioned CDS's Daniel McFarlane to study the feasibility of Giga in Asia and the Pacific. The study, supported by CDS team member Yannik Mieruch, led to the publication of Giga: Empowering Communities in Asia and the Pacific Through School Connectivity, which you can access the report here and below is a summary of the study:
Broadband connectivity and ICTs are essential tools for achieving the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but 3.7 billion people worldwide lack internet access. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the digital divide within and between countries. Children in poorer countries without adequate digital infrastructure and learning resources have been more disadvantaged than those in wealthier countries. The Giga initiative, a collaboration between ITU and UNICEF, aims to connect every young person to information, opportunity, and choice by creating the infrastructure to provide digital connectivity to entire countries, communities, and citizens. The initiative is based on four pillars: map, finance, connect and empower.
The first pillar involves mapping schools to identify connectivity problems and determine the magnitude of the challenge. The second pillar, connect, involves deploying infrastructure and technology solutions to bring affordable connectivity to unconnected schools, such as Wi-Fi, satellite, fibre, TV white space, Li-Fi, and Open RAN. The third pillar, finance, involves selecting appropriate financing mechanisms, ranging from government budgets to multilateral development banks and blended finance solutions, depending on the magnitude of the challenge. The fourth pillar, empower, involves integrating digital skills development into education policies to ensure that connectivity leads to empowerment.
Giga has already made significant progress in 17 countries across three regions and is expanding to Asia and the Pacific, with several countries expressing interest, including Bhutan, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Fiji. However, a comprehensive approach involving stakeholders is crucial for mapping school connectivity, leveraging government policies to deliver more excellent connectivity, piloting and evaluating connectivity solutions and business models for long-term sustainability, and ensuring education ministries embrace digital skills and have ownership of connectivity and empowerment initiatives. By taking a holistic approach, Giga aims to bridge the digital divide and ensure that no one is left behind.