Social media, civic engagement and well-being: The case of Bangladeshi youth

A recent review of education policy, school curriculum and textbooks, and interviews with teachers suggest that civic and citizenship education in Bangladesh does not give sufficient prominence to the civic participation domain. Yet, there is an indication that Bangladeshi youth’s civic engagement is growing with the proliferation of social media use. Based on in-depth interviews with a group of young people, this presentation will provide a comprehensive understanding of their social media usage behaviors. It will especially highlight what civic activities they are engaged in, how deep is their engagement and what factors facilitate. It will also examine the threats they encounter while using social media and how their well-being is affected. The presentation will shed light on how young people can safely, ethically, responsibly, and effectively function in social media space and what knowledge, skills and attitudes can enable such engagement. It will also illustrate what media and information literacy is needed for fostering critical civic participation and engagement in and through social media. The presentation will conclude by highlighting implications for education policy makers, educators, teacher educators and other related professionals in Bangladesh. Copyright © 2023 ECP.