Summary of Social Media Observation
(2021-2023)
The Spring Revolution sparked a trend within society; a growing openness to discussing the issues and ideas rarely addressed in the public
previously. These include Rohingya rights, the role of ethnic minorities in
the political process, and women and youth leadership. While the recent
opening has emerged from the anti-coup movement, it is crucial to recognize it won’t necessarily transform societal values. To achieve longterm change, we need a marketplace for ideas and a platform for healthy
and constructive dialogue where citizens can participate freely. Social
media, ideally, should serve as both. This longitudinal observation aims
to analyze the contents of the social media messages following the 2021
coup and aims to identify shortcomings for improvement in how political
information is communicated on platforms such as Facebook and Telegram.
We developed a framework that enables us to focus on specific content
areas relevant to conflict resolutions and a future federal democratic
state, such as federalism, equality, self-determination, peace, democratic
values, and human rights. Using this framework, we then analyzed the
social media messages whether they promote these positive values or
instead increase distrust, division, or violence. Following a three-year
observation, this summary presents findings that are highly relevant to all democratic stakeholders, particularly for understanding how social media messages influence conflict resolution and democratic values.
During the observation period, we identified Facebook
pages and Telegram channels using relevant keywords (1,748) and hashtags (1,522). These pages and
channels were then categorized based on their political stance and functionality. Using our customized software, we collected posts and messages in
real-time and analyzed the content.