Media Usage Pattern of Chakma Women

Abstract

Abstract

With the gradual advancement of technology and communication channels, media usage has become a constant in our everyday lives.  This paper tried to study the media usage pattern of Chakma women residing in Kamalanagar village, the headquarters of the Chakma Autonomous District Council, Lawngtlai District. Using qualitative method of data collection namely field observation of the study area and focus group discussion among 12 Chakma women were used to collect first-hand data on the media usage pattern.  It is found that mobile phone is the most used medium for personal, educational, and information purposes. YouTube is also used by all the participants to watch mainly entertainment content. None of the participants subscribed to print media and hardly read any news at all. Television at home is mostly used to play Hindi serials or cartoons which the whole family can watch together. Chakma society is a patriarchal society and women are mainly considered to be the homemaker rather than the bread earner, this practice is also reflected in the media usage as women are hardly content creators but is more passive users of social media.  It is also found that the younger participants used languages such as Hindi, Chakma, and English interchangeably over different platforms of social media. Their unawareness of the Mizo language posed the main reason behind the lack of consumption of Mizo media content manufactured within the state.