Social media platforms happen to be the largest impetus in forcing people to use the internet in Myanmar. There are 3,000,000 Facebook users among a population of 56,000,000.
What possible ways are Burmese people’s lives are being affected by the use of the internet?
The most prominent impact on Burmese people; Social Media Factor and Blogging & Online Shopping in Myanmar.
Changing Burmese Life with the Internet
Myanmar, also known as Burma, with a population of 55,746,253 is slowly climbing the ladder of technological world. Though a relative late comer to the global world of internet, it is slowly catching up to the rest of the world. Burmese people, much like all other countries are being and have been exposed to the modern era that is attached to the internet technology. Internet, as popularly known, provides people with sundry options and open up new vistas to be explored. Besides many other platforms, social media platforms happen to be the largest impetus in forcing people to use internet. For example there are 3,000,000 Facebook users alone among the might population of 55,746,253. So, in what possible ways, Burmese people’s lives are being affected by the use of internet? Here are few things that have had a prominent impact on Burmese people.
Social Media Factor and Blogging
Internet effectively provides the place for the outliers and the suppressed. The social media platforms, in particular, allow the people to gather and create a dialogue within a society, which is otherwise almost impossible. Since people don’t have much options at their disposal, where they can express their grievances and meet their counterparts. Blogging is one such medium, where anyone can put his or her own thoughts out in the public and let everyone know how they feel about a particular occasion or phenomenon.
The story of Nay Phone Latt should explain what it means to live in internet age. Since Myanmar has lived for most of her part under dictatorial rule, the censorship rules remained very strict. So, this blogger had to face a lot of hurdles when he expressed some concerns over the government policies back in 2008. However, things have changed quite a lot now. The country has lead a progressive path for the last few years.
Online Shopping in Myanmar
The obvious entrance to the world of online shopping occurs only once you have internet access. The internet penetration in Myanmar is around 1 percent (as validated by Wikipedia as well), which is quite low as per the normal standards. Yet the most promising part is that people are attracted to this mode of shopping. One can judge the success of e-commerce by the sheer number of online marketplaces that have jumped into the country.
Kaymu is one such example. A marketplace which offers the public such exciting offers that one cannot resist but using them. Plus it becomes a nurturing place for budding entrepreneurs. People who don’t have enough resources to start their own businesses rush to such online marketplaces, which offer them umbrella and give them opportunity to test their own waters. For people in Yangoon, there is yangononlinestore.com and much other places to visit online.
All of this is possible only because of the presence of internet. The future is definitely bright, when it comes to internet users in Burma.