Smartphone accessibility: Key to empowering youth digitally
Digital evolution has now become a reality within every aspect of life, making it necessary for the youth of today to be technologically sound. To keep up with the pace of digital transformation around the globe, it has become imperative for nations to make the citizens more familiarized with technology while moving forward towards further growth and development. With internet being the very driver of this shift, smartphones have become a fundamental tool for its acceleration.
The ground-breaking introduction of smartphones among the masses during the 1970s allowed people to make calls from anywhere and everywhere – and that was just the beginning. Now, smartphones possess the ability to bring the world at your fingertips – and, undoubtedly, this will evolve even further. According to the primary data of the Population and Housing Census 2022, currently 55.89% of Bangladeshis use mobile phones, while 30.68% of the total population use the internet. Although impressive, the numbers need to increase even more to take the country forward towards a smart future. Moreover, as we are focusing on Smart Bangladesh vision, it has become more important now than ever to make our youth familiar with technology; and the process starts with smartphones.
Ever since the Coronavirus pandemic began, movement restrictions contributed to making a large chunk of the population technology dependent. Classes were conducted online, office tasks were completed over video conferencing and productivity tools, and consumers resorted to online shopping. This was a huge step in making the citizens of Bangladesh ever so dependent on smartphones; and with time, this is only going to increase. We are moving towards an economy where labor will be smart, and all tasks can be conducted online. E-wallets and contactless payments will become the norm as financial management will get digitized.
Darren Zhang, Branding Director, realme Bangladesh, opined, “At realme, we work towards our commitment to providing a comprehensive superior digital experience for the youth, by equipping them with cutting-edge technologies of smartphones and IoT. Bangladesh is a fast-paced country with exemplary economic development, and it is only moving forward – towards a Smart nation. Hence, now is the time to make the youth of Bangladesh more digitally empowered; and realme is always there to ensure that our way forward technologies reach the hands of youth across Bangladesh.”
Adding to that, Bangladesh will also launch 5G in near future, which is undoubtedly a substantial step towards enhanced connectivity, making way for further digital transformation. Moreover, Bangladesh is now going through a demographic dividend, making it the right time to utilize the youth towards a smarter nation. However, a digital divide still exists, and that needs to be bridged. For that, smartphones and IoT products must be made more accessible for the youth. It is important that young citizens, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, get access to smartphones and are digitally enabled.
The tech industry and smartphone manufacturers have a huge role to play in this regard. Fortunately, youth-centric brands like realme are making efforts in making innovative technology more accessible for everyone, guiding us towards becoming a technologically sound and responsible nation. Thanks to such brands, young citizens across the country can now use smartphones, as a step forward towards familiarizing the youth with digital knowledge and skills necessary to expedite the journey towards Smart Bangladesh.