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Mobile Myanmar: The Impact of Social Media on Young People Living in Conflict-Affected Regions of Myanmar Section 3: Fake News and Propaganda Activity: Find the Fake For our next activity, we’re going to talk about fake news and propaganda. 1. Who can tell me what fake news is? a. Have you learned about fake news before? (Definition: intentionally fabricated information, deceptive content, or grossly distorted actual news). i. If ‘yes’: where? 2. Who can tell me what propaganda is? (Definition: Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view). a. Have you learned about propaganda before? i. If ‘yes’: where? [Confirm that all participants understand the terms] Now that we know the definitions of these terms, I’m going to show you a few different news posts from around Myanmar Social Media and I want you to circle the posts that you think are propaganda, and put an ‘x’ through the posts that you think are fake news. [Distribute print outs and wait until all participants have completed the activity.] Follow up Discussion: 3. Who can tell me which of these posts you thought were fake news? a. How do you know if something is fake news? 4. Do you ever check things you see online to make sure their real? a. If ‘yes’, Where could you go to check? 5. If you thought something was fake news, what would you do? a. (prompt: Would you report it? Mock it, share it to debunk it, etc.?) 122

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Mobile Myanmar: The impact of social media on young people in conflict-affected regions of Myanmar

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Language

English

Topic

Hate Speech
Internet Connectivity / Accessibility

Author(s)

Save the Children
The University of Sydney

Date Published: Nov 1, 2019

Abstract: The advent of social media in Myanmar following the transition towards civilian rule announced in 2011 has given young people an important new platform for civic engagement and expression, and access to information and knowledge. But while young people are highly engaged with social media and its potential to bring benefits to their daily lives, this research reveals a number of alarming trends. Emerging new dangers such as online sexual harassment and hate speech are widespread and deeply concerning, and threaten to impact the safety and participation of girls and minority groups. Most young people lack the digital citizenship skills required to protect themselves from the online dangers and emotional and mental health impacts of social media highlighted in this report. The study finds evidence that young people across Myanmar suffer from ‘hate speech fatigue’, often exacerbated by repeat exposure to fake news and propaganda targeting specific communities. Over time, this effect limits young Myanmar users’ willingness to seek out and engage with reporting and blocking functions that may help combat fake news and hate speech online. Understanding the impact of social media on social and political discourse in Myanmar is of urgent, critical importance. While the young people in this study saw great potential for social media to increase empathy and understanding between different groups, the struggle to curb anti-Muslim hate speech in particular, and the structural and violent oppression it begets, is still very real. As recent global events have shown, democratic processes are especially vulnerable to disinformation campaigns and the spread of fake news and hate speech. Myanmar’s democracy is still new, and with elections upcoming in 2020, social media could very well play a role in shifting voter attitudes, especially among young people.

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Mobile Myanmar: The impact of social media on young people in conflict-affected regions of Myanmar

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