Social media is one of the most powerful tools brought into new opportunities not only for the marketing sector but also in the political sector for establishing networks within society, sharing information, and making awareness within the communities. Social media is impacting the emotional nerves of humans as the cognitive brain is actively engaged with activities during use of it.
The theory of social cognition is an approach too psychologically and motivated to knowledge acquisition and mapping the behavior for self- regulation.
As social media networking (SMN) provides an exclusive platform for independent discussion for everybody. The social media network (SMN) has grown to be the most authentic and trustworthy source of alternative media. By using the social media Bangladesh has witnessed an unexpected tragedy that a most powerful student-led movement held on 1st July 2024. This movement was catalyzed the regime change and signifying the powerful social media importance on societal transformation in Bangladesh.
The Bangladeshi celebrities and YouTuber were actively working together to bring the massive protester to the street. The power of the voice has deeply connected with followers and directly impacted the mobilization of all communities for any kind of event. So, mobilization is the most powerful tool to change the regime in Bangladesh.
The celebrities were pushing the audiences to join the protest and inciting violence against regime change. Celebrities and opposition parties were tried hard and soulfully to engage with massive fan followers to change the narrative of public opinions and directly bypass the traditional media. Researcher Md. Amran Hossain, Md Mahady Hasan and Dr. Neel wasantha were conducting the Power of Social Media in Driving Political Change: A Case Study on Bangladesh’s Regime Change in 2024.
The objective of the study was designed to investigate the relationships between social media platform and driving political change, the relationships between social media usage and driving political change in Bangladesh. Secondly, the relationships between political campaign communication and driving political change happen during the student movement in Bangladesh. However, the result of the analysis of reliability and validity has been indicated positively. The findings of all IV variables were tested with DV and significantly confirmed the positive output of the research.
The student-led protest movement ousted the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign from her power and flee the country. But she was cracking down on the protesters and killing her own citizen throughout July 2024 to 5th Aug 2024.
The people of Bangladesh get back to democracy and form an interim government on 8th August 2024. The people’s republic of Bangladesh declared “Students July Revaluation,” recorded in the history of Bangladesh. According to the research, the social media platforms were extremely helpful to erase the authoritarian government.
The people were oppressed and getting injustice over the last 16 years under dictatorial government. Basically the social media plays vital roles during the anti-government protest like mobilizing millions of people on street and it plays the function of bypassing media to bring whole people under one umbrella. Secondly, the research indicates that the celebrities were also played a crucial part during the protest by showing the strength and solidarity with students let movement.
Finally the student-led protest movement ousted the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign from her power and fled the country. Further more details find here in this journal link –
Writer: Dr. H.L. Neel Wasantha, Senior lecturer, Department of Management Science, Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka.
Md. Amran Hossain, MBM- University of kelaniya, Sri Lanka , BBA- Lincoln University, Malaysia, Work station : Omantel Telecommunication, Muscat , Oman.
BDST: 1429 HRS, March 17, 2025
MSK