What lies behind a Facebook page? Insights from an action research project in rural Bangladesh

Abstract

This investigation explores ambiguities, limitations, constraints, and ethical issues related to the collection and use of online social data for research purposes from a Facebook community fostered by developmental bodies in rural Bangladesh. Even though there have been prior studies of information and communication technology use in vulnerable communities in development contexts, such research has not taken sufficient account of cultural and power dynamics at the coalface of social research. This investigation also examines the positionality of the researchers, including relationships to patriarchal and communal structures in Bangladesh. In this context, it examines the Facebook posts by women of a village. In particular, it finds that the desire to be seen as a “good woman” acts to regulate personal agency and expression of the village women.