Environmental movements and social networking sites in Bangladesh

What is it about?

This paper aims to explore the current trend of environmental movements and its relationship with social networking sites (SNS) in Bangladesh, the most vulnerable country to climate change impacts in the world. SNS is increasingly being used in environmental movements in the disaster–prone country and it has a significant impact on activism. This study was undertaken on a recent protest against Rampal Power Plant project, designed to set up near Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site. On the basis of new social movement theory, this study engaged a multi–level, multi–methods approach to the analysis of the movement and found that SNS played an important role in every stage of the movement. This study also indicates that SNS motivates non–partisan people to join a movement on the ground.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

I argue that the new communication pattern among activists determines the new characteristics of the movement and helps it to be different from conventional social movements.