The Dilemma of Unlawful Digital Interventions and Their Impacts on the Rohingya Community During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study explores the impact of unlawful digital interventions on the Rohingya community in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rohingya refugees, who have faced severe persecution in Myanmar, found themselves in refugee camps in Bangladesh, where they initially had limited access to technology and the internet due to legal restrictions. However, by using the Ethnoscape and Mediascape of globalization theory devised by Arjun Appadurai, the study aims to understand the unlawful digital interventions in the camps during the Covid-19 pandemic. This unauthorized access to digital platforms played a crucial role in raising awareness among the Rohingya population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study conducted in three Rohingya camps employed qualitative methods, including focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and observations, to understand the significance of unauthorized digital platform usage, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescent males and females with smartphones acquired knowledge about COVID-19 through social media platforms like Facebook, Imo, WhatsApp, and YouTube, leading to intergenerational debates within the community, as the elderly relied more on television broadcasts. The study highlighted the critical role of social media in shaping the community's knowledge and perceptions of the pandemic and to take precautionary measures, though they encountered misleading content. While digital platforms facilitated information sharing and financial transactions, gendered restrictions on smartphone usage were evident, reflecting patriarchal control over young girls' mobile phone access.