Digital Repression and Resistance in Myanmar: Fresh Insight

Four years after the military coup, repression and conflict remain daily realities for people in Myanmar. Six new Foundation-supported studies explore how digital life intersects with repression, identity and activism.

How are digital tools sustaining Myanmar’s resistance movement, even amid online fear and surveillance? How is excessive social media use in this conflict zone impacting people’s mental health? What are the keys to building people’s resilience to disinformation and hate speech?

Those are just some of the questions tackled by these new studies, each one led by Myanmar researchers. Together, they are part of a broader series of 27 studies rolling out under the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) initiative, supported by the The SecDev Foundation and Canada’s International Development Research Center (IDRC).

These six newest studies, all published in June 2025, reflect the complexities and challenges of “doing politics” in a conflict zone in the digital age:

Targeted Identities

by Thein Dollar

This study links rising social media use in Myanmar to widespread online harassment of LGBTQ+ people. It identifies contributing factors—including cultural norms, religious beliefs, low gender awareness, and institutional failures—and offers recommendations for addressing mental health impacts, legal protection gaps, and societal attitudes.

Voices Amid Strife

by in Mar Oo, May Thu, Zar Ti Nwe Nu Aung & Hilary Faxon

Based on interviews and media monitoring, this study explores how Rohingya communities perceive the insurgent Arakan Army in Rakhine State. They document rising violence, displacement, and distrust—challenging assumptions about Myanmar’s revolutionary future. For safety reasons, one embedded Rohingya author uses a pseudonym.

Social Overload

by the Calm Lab team

This study investigates impacts of consuming high volumes of political and crisis-related content on social media. Findings show a strong correlation between such use and chronic stress, anxiety, and depression. The authors call on social media platforms, policymakers and health advocates to take steps to mitigate the psychological toll.

Seeing Fakes

by Intellectum Research Consortium

This follow-up to Intellectum’s earlier Dangerous Channels study examines how people in Myanmar interpret, verify and act on online information. Highlighting gaps in digital literacy and risks of misinformation under authoritarian governance, the authors offer concrete recommendations to boost people’s resilience to fake news and hate speech.

Digital Resistance

by Thurein Lwin, Nyan Aye, Khit Tar, Aung Sett Paing & Aung Kyaw Soe

This study explores how digital platforms help sustain Myanmar’s democracy movement—and how fear, surveillance, and fatigue are shaping online activism. It also offers practical strategies to rekindle digital engagement in a high-risk environment. The research was led by independent scholars working through the Thailand-based Panglong Initiative.

Four Years After

by Jangai Jap, Htet Myet Min Tun, Mozart Brang, Myat Thiri Bo & Naw Awng Jakan

Drawing on a national survey of more than 3,000 people, this study explores how everyday life has changed since the 2021 military coup. It captures people’s views on federal democracy, governance, education, and digital repression—revealing the social and political impact of life under military rule.

Groundbreaking research series

These latest papers are among 27 Foundation-supported research studies that are being produced for Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) in 2024-25.  To date, 17 of those “Myanmar Digital Research” studies are published and available in the Publications section of the SecDev Foundation’s website

All these studies are being led by emerging Myanmar researchers. As part of their engagement with the Foundation, every research team benefits from a digital risk assessment and safety plan to prepare them for their digital and field research in Myanmar. We believe we have a duty of care to ensure any work we support does not put people in harm’s way.

K4DM was launched in 2017 by the International Development Research Centre and Global Affairs Canada. It fosters a new generation of young actors to promote democratic development and prosperity for all in Myanmar. Meanwhile, the Foundation’s SEA Changemakers team has promoted digital resilience among youth in Southeast Asia since 2014.