Ashin Sopaka Social Media Accounts (November 2015) The content on these accounts is typical of the younger generation of networked monks, who post a high volume of content with detailed coverage of their sermons, events, travels, and personal thoughts on major news items. While Wirathu and Ashin Sopaka are both believed to personally manage and post on their accounts, they are also assisted by ‘media teams,’ often comprised of laypeople and junior monks armed with smartphones, cameras, and computers, as seen on various social media posts.261 262 263 In fact, computer literacy and training has become an important priority for many monks. Ashin Sopaka recently held a free two-month computer literacy training event for laypeople at his monastery. Available imagery from a social media account apparently controlled by Ashin Sopaka, shows a wellorganized operation with textbooks produced by the monastery and instructors in well-stocked classrooms.264 Image 31: Photo from free two-month free I.T. training course offered for laypeople at Ashin Sopaka’s monastery. The social media post was from November 14, 2015 Image 32: Page from computer literacy curriculum at Sopaka’s monastery detailing use of Microsoft Word as seen on a Facebook account apparently controlled by Ashin Sopaka Funding Myanmar is a deeply religious society, and all segments of society liberally donate to monks and monasteries. In 2014, Myanmar ranked first in the “Global Giving Index,” a ranking of charitable behavior among countries around the world,265 despite being one of the poorest and least developed countries in Asia.266 Much of this charitable giving is directed towards the monkhood in the forms of cash, gifts deemed useful to monks or their monasteries, and even labor through donated volunteer time. An analysis of available Ma Ba Tha donation receipts shows donations ranging from small 31