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Bangladesh is navigating a profound digital revolution, dramatically transforming its media landscape and presenting both immense opportunities and significant risks. Internet connectivity surged more than fivefold between 2013 and 2021, growing from 6.6% to approximately 39%[1] of the population, with projections to reach 58% by 2024. This rapid expansion fueled a fifteen-fold increase in social media usage from 2012 to 2021, with nearly 67% of Bangladesh’s internet users engaging with at least one social media platform as of 2023[2]. News consumption, communication, and entertainment are increasingly shifting online, unlocking new markets, customer channels, and avenues to educate and empower millions
However, this swift digitalization introduces critical challenges including the widespread dissemination of misinformation, online harassment, and persistent issues related to digital literacy and equitable access. Stark disparities in internet uptake exist between genders (45% men vs. 33% women) and rural versus urban areas (30% rural vs. 63% urban households with internet)[3]. Alarmingly, over 80% of people voice positive trust in social media content, yet over 33% do not attempt to verify the information they receive, creating fertile ground for misinformation, amplified by emergent technologies like AI and limited fact-checking infrastructure.
While existing research offers a foundational understanding of digital media penetration and usage trends, there remain significant knowledge gaps in understanding specific user behaviors, the experiences of marginalized groups, the precise determinants of trust, and the impact of emergent technologies like AI on misinformation.
LightCastle Partners, in collaboration with Dalberg Advisors sought a comprehensive study to better understand the digital and social media engagement and practices in Bangladesh to address key knowledge gaps.
To address these critical knowledge gaps, Dalberg and LightCastle Partners employed a nuanced, mixed-methods approach grounded in five core principles: balancing rigor with strategic relevance, leveraging global expertise tailored to the local context, applying a diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) lens with a special focus on gender, and assembling a synergistic team of local and global experts. The study explored four key research areas forming its conceptual framework:
Access & Affordability: Examined the level of access to digital and social media and its variations across socio-economic, demographic, and geographic parameters.
Awareness & Literacy: Assessed the extent of digital and social media awareness and literacy, including proficiency in digital tasks and skill acquisition.
Usage & Consumption: Comprehended how Bangladeshi citizens use digital and social media for news, entertainment, and other purposes, and their preferred platforms.
Trust & Safety: Investigated the level of trust in information from digital, social, and traditional channels, factors influencing this trust, and the impact of misinformation.
Figure: Overarching conceptual framework
The assignment was divided between the two organizations, where LightCastle led the data collection while Dalberg catered to the reporting. The undertaking took place during a monumental shift in the Bangladesh’s political and social structure. This led to a renewed approach to data collection, as the team took aid from local administrations like the DG and UP offices. Safety and security of the extensive deployment of over 90 enumerators working simultaneously (2-3 districts at a time) across 16 districts also required a novel approach whereby the team utilized real time GIS tracking.
It began with desk research, reviewing over 10 existing studies and datasets to synthesize knowledge, identify gaps, and inform the design of primary research. This was followed by a nationally representative, in-person survey of over 4,000 individuals across all eight divisions of Bangladesh using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), with random, population-based sampling that included two districts and two Upazillas per division. The survey sampled urban (60%) and online (75%) populations, targeting at least 40% female respondents, and employed a simple, quantifiable, and longitudinally comparable questionnaire, supported by rigorous enumerator training, pilot testing, fieldwork back-checks, data cleaning, and IRB-approved ethical protocols. The Quality Check (QC) process also adopted a renewed approach, deploying on and off field QCs through in-person visitation and teleback checks.
Figure: Quantitative Surveys Across Cox’s Bazar, Tangail, and Netrokona in Bangladesh
Complementing the survey, the LightCastle team conducted 10 focus group discussions (FGDs) across Dhaka and Chattogram, engaging participants from diverse digital and educational backgrounds.
The FGDs targeted three user segments: Power Users and Pathfinders (high internet maturity), Aspiring Users (medium maturity), and ‘Cusp’ Users (low or no internet usage but eager to go online), exploring their online behaviors, motivations, and challenges. Alongside these, targeted discussions focused on misinformation and education, especially interest in foreign universities, engaging youth aged 18–20, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors. These FGDs not only revealed the motivations, challenges, and aspirations behind Bangladeshis’ digital and educational behaviors but also surfaced concerns around misinformation, online trust, and verification practices, adding crucial depth to the survey findings.
The study’s findings offer a comprehensive window into Bangladesh’s rapidly transforming digital landscape, revealing not just how people access and use digital platforms, but why they do so and what they trust. It highlighted key opportunities, such as leveraging digital media for education, commerce, public engagement, and social programs, as well as tailoring interventions to boost inclusion and empowerment across diverse segments. At the same time, the research uncovered persistent challenges, including gaps in digital literacy, unequal access across gender and geography, and the growing risks of misinformation.
Beyond immediate applications, the insights map out the motivations and aspirations that shape online adoption and sustained engagement, providing a nuanced understanding of the population’s interaction with technology. Enhanced with visual tools such as journey maps and media ecosystem maps, the findings integrate quantitative rigor, qualitative depth, and secondary research to create a compelling, actionable narrative. This holistic understanding equips stakeholders to navigate Bangladesh’s complex digital terrain with precision, maximize opportunities, and mitigate risks in the country’s ongoing digital revolution.
Across Bangladesh, especially amongst rural areas, digital platform usage has significantly evolved, for instance the use of voice search and widespread use of e-commerce platforms were observed across localities. This evolution requires continuous research and oversight whereby new services have the opportunity to improve in relevance to adaptation.
[1] The World Bank, World Development Indicators, 2023
[2] DataReportal, Digital 2023: Bangladesh
[3] Mobile Gender Gap Report, 2022
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