14 M. THE-THITSAR Socialization and mobilization for identity-based movements My study found that public groups65 and private groups66 on Facebook play an impor­ tant role in circulating information and mobilization for identity-based movements. All interview respondents said they belonged to private and public groups on Facebook and engaged with four to eight active groups on average. All or at least half of these groups they engage with are groups based on their ethnicity or community, while the rest are work-related groups and educational networking groups. For instance, a Pa-O male in his 30s said he had been actively engaging with about four public groups, including Pa-O National Media, ‘Pa-O Lu Myo Toe Sone-sey Yar’ (A Place Where Pa-O People Meet); ‘Taung-gyi Thar Su-Sey Yar’ (A Place where Taunggyi Residents Gather) and ‘Pin Laung Tha-tin Sone’ (All Sorts of Pin Laung News), along with two private groups related to a Pa-O political party and two other work-related private groups, which he didn’t elaborate on further. While there are no commercial and formal media services for Danu and Naga groups, those communities share local news and information primarily through public and private groups on Facebook. According to respondents, all information pages in Danu are public while Naga community strictly keep most of their group private and limited to only Naga community members or specific tribal or clan group members. One Naga female in her 30s said: Most of the Facebook groups formed for Naga community and tribes are private. For instance, we have a private group called Naga Information Center, which is set up mainly for informa­ tion sharing among different Naga people who live across the country. We keep it as a private group and do not let any other people in unless that person is a Naga. If a Naga person who doesn’t have a Naga name wants to join us, he or she needs to provide his or her background information to the admin of the group in order to be admitted as a group member. All respondents stated that they learn most of the local news and receive their group information through ethnic media pages and groups on Facebook. They have been ‘always in touch with their communities and friends’67 even though they are away from their native towns and villages. Importantly, communication and networking through Facebook is not all about keeping in touch with native lands. Some respondents reported that Facebook and Messenger played an important role in organizing and mobilizing identity-based social events and political movements. According to respondents, Messenger groups are formed as more ad hoc communications for groups who are responsible for planning and imple­ menting tasks and events, while Facebook posts are more effective in raising awareness of a general population or a targeted population. A Danu male in his 20s noted: For the Danu National Day, leading people of Danu Literature and Culture Association first carried out meetings and prepared agenda. Then, detailed arrangements and contributions (physical effort and financial support) from each ward and village were again discussed to divide up duties and responsibilities. For detailed arrangements and implementation, things needed to be well informed and coordinated. So, mostly younger folks formed Messenger groups and update in the group about preparing costumes, dance group, lunch and refreshments, etc., And village youth and leaders also posted photos of their costumes and entertainment plans in the group or page to make other villages feel envious. To me, it is lively and exciting to see such level of enthusiasm and activities during the process of organizing for the national day.