Keyboard Fighters: The Use of ICTs by Activists in Times of Military Coup in Myanmar

Title of the Paper

Keyboard Fighters: The Use of ICTs by Activists in Times of Military Coup in Myanmar

Bibliographic Information

• Subject Area: The application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in political crises and protests, with a case study focusing on the Myanmar military coup.
• Keywords: ICT-supported protests, social media, social movements, Myanmar coup, internet shutdowns, digital rights, security and privacy

Research Background and Issues

• What problems or challenges did the authors identify?

  • The use of digital tools and protests in Myanmar increased significantly after the 2021 military coup, but there is limited empirical research on the specific applications and needs of ICTs in such high-risk, conflict-laden contexts.
  • Information dissemination and organization are constrained under conditions like internet shutdowns.
  • Myanmar's unique context (e.g., rapid digitalization, historical internet censorship, and digital violence) makes ICT-supported protests complex and distinctive.

• Why is this issue important?

  • ICTs have become central tools for gatherings, raising international awareness, and facilitating information flow during political crises. They provide valuable insights into the online-offline interaction strategies and challenges faced by Myanmar protesters.
  • Understanding how activists innovate with technology under oppressive conditions can inform policy recommendations for Myanmar and contribute to global research on social movements.

• Research Motivation and Related Work

  • This study aims to fill the empirical data gap regarding Myanmar protests, particularly focusing on the use of instant messaging apps and technological needs under restricted conditions (e.g., internet shutdowns).
  • Grounded in Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT), the study examines the material, social, and cultural resources required for social movements.

Solutions

• What methods or solutions did the authors propose?

  • The authors collected data through interviews (N=16) and online surveys (N=34) to analyze the specific ways ICTs were used in Myanmar protests.
  • From the perspective of Resource Mobilization Theory, the study focused on how activists adjusted their strategies to cope with volatile environments (e.g., internet shutdowns and surveillance).

• What is innovative about this solution?

  • The study explored the interaction between digital and analog activities.
  • It proposed technology improvement suggestions tailored to the Myanmar context (e.g., innovative offline communication tools, enhanced encryption technologies).

• What were the implementation steps? What key technologies were used?

  1. Data Collection: Conducted interviews via secure platforms like Signal and Jitsi Meet, and provided GDPR-compliant online surveys.
  2. Data Analysis: Used MAXQDA to perform content analysis on qualitative data, resulting in a coding framework with 49 core categories and subcategories.
  3. Theoretical Analysis: Based on Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT), the study focused on the organizational and technological needs of activists.

Research Findings

• What specific findings were achieved?

  • Social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) and instant messaging apps (e.g., Signal, Telegram) played a central role in Myanmar's protests.
  • Protesters employed strategies to address challenges such as internet shutdowns, misinformation, and device inspections (e.g., using VPNs, disguising data, and offline messaging apps).
  • Activists expressed a strong demand for anonymity, enhanced privacy protection features, and improved offline communication technologies.

• What advantages does this solution have compared to existing ones?

  • The study provided more detailed, user-centered design recommendations tailored to Myanmar's unique sociocultural and political context.
  • By integrating findings from both online and offline activities, the research deepened the understanding of how ICTs support social movements.

• What were the experimental or evaluation results?

  • 17 interviewees expressed concerns about the risk of military surveillance of personal data.
  • 72% of respondents reported using VPNs during internet or social media shutdowns, reflecting a widespread need to resist digital restrictions.
  • Even under restricted conditions, protesters demonstrated a high level of technological adaptability, such as collectively using Telegram groups and leveraging international social networks to share experiences.

• Limitations and Future Directions

  • Limitations:
    • The study primarily targeted English-speaking individuals, potentially excluding perspectives from non-English speakers or less tech-savvy groups.
    • The data focused on the early stages of the 2021 military coup, lacking observations on long-term changes in activism.
  • Future Directions:
    • Recommend developing secure communication tools suitable for high-risk scenarios (e.g., broader offline network coverage and anonymous registration features).
    • Advocate for the inclusion of social movement stakeholders in technology design discussions to make ICT products more community-oriented.
    • Suggest future research to collaborate more closely with local communities to avoid academic "knowledge extraction."

Contributions of the Paper

• Provided a case study on how activists rapidly adjusted their technological and social strategies under the oppressive conditions of Myanmar's military regime.
• Offered specific design recommendations and policy insights in the areas of digital rights, the positive and negative aspects of social media, and technological innovation under state surveillance.