Mobile Phone: Skill, Communication & Sociation

Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) has organized a fortnightly seminar on 20 August 2023. Dr. Mohammad Golam Nabi Mozumder, Research Fellow, BIDS, presented a paper titled Mobile Phone: Skill, Communication & Sociation. The seminar was held in BIDS conference room, starting at 11 am BST and ending at 1.00 pm BST. Dr. Binayak Sen, the Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), chaired the seminar. Dr. Khorshed Alam, Associate Professor, Dept. of Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Dhaka, and Instructor, Department of Writing and Rhetoric, University of Mississippi, U.S.A., joined the fortnightly seminar as a designated discussant via Zoom platform. Dr. Mozumder shared that he interviewed 240 participants aged between 18 and 35 who lacked any formal educational background; among them, 130 of the respondents were women. The participants were questioned about their experiences with using smartphones for educational purposes. He conducted multiple follow-up interviews to understand a mobile user's story and to collect various evidence. His research shows that people without institutional education can also use mobile phones comfortably. People are learning new languages or alphabets just by using mobile phones. One of the documentaries Dr. Mozumder shot while conducting the paper shows that people have created a strong emotional bond with mobile phones and are confessing without hesitation that they can't live a day without mobile phones. 

Director General of BIDS Binayak Sen complimented the innovative nature of this study, pointing out that it was the first investigation on mobile phone usage in the nation. Additionally, he acknowledged the need for more study in this area and suggested that an awareness campaign might be an option to address possible smartphone usage.