Digital Competency and Ramp up Covid-19 Fighting: A Bangladeshi Youth Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the role of digital competencies among Bangladeshi youth in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic through the use of ICT-backed social media and applications such as Facebook, YouTube, Zoom, and Skype. Drawing on the historical contributions of Bangladeshi youth during the 1971 liberation war and their position as a substantial demographic group, the research investigates how digital skills enable young people aged 15–29 in Dhaka to access information, communicate, create content, and solve problems during the crisis. Guided by an adapted Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy framework emphasizing attention, information, communication, content creation, safety, and problem-solving, the study employed a survey of 200 youth respondents combined with statistical analysis, including Chi-square tests and Goodman and Kruskal’s gamma. Findings indicate that Facebook is the most preferred platform, that educational background facilitates effective use, and that youth actively disseminate health messages, support patients with information on beds and oxygen, coordinate networks, and counter misinformation. While some associations between content creation and specific health actions were not statistically significant, overall results demonstrate a significant link between social media use and youth engagement in pandemic response activities. The study concludes that digital competencies empower Bangladeshi youth as active contributors to national health and crisis management, offering practical directions for enhancing device operation, productivity, and digital entrepreneurship.

Keywords: digital competency, Bangladeshi youth, COVID-19, social media, ICT, Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy, pandemic response, content creation, health communication, problem-solving