The internet, mobile, and social media technologies have been successful in connecting large segments of the world's population, generating wide access to global networks of information. There are several clusters of unconnected/under-connected populations across the world, however, who do not have access due to financial, social, or political limitations. In response, state, industry, and grassroots initiatives are being put in place with the aim of transforming the current state of access so as to advance towards a global free-market economy, increased digital literacy, and more equitable online participation overall. Multinational technology corporations such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon have invested towards providing socioeconomically disadvantaged communities with increased, free of charge access to information and communication services. In this research, we look at the unexplored media and information sharing practices in the rural regions of Bangladesh, how these unconnected/under-connected populations find means to get online. We also argue that the "offline" practices for media sharing should be factored in the design of internet access.
In the TanDEm lab, we focus on matters relating to the design, deployment, adoption, and use of technologies towards empowerment - of underserved and under-represented communities in resource-constrained regions across the world.
