Abstract

This study explores the rise of Kishor Gangs (youth gangs) in Bangladesh, focusing on the interplay between social media imagery and juvenile delinquency. Using a qualitative content analysis of 49 news reports from leading Bangladeshi newspaper—Prothom Alo and The Daily Star (2017–2022), supplemented by a review of relevant literature, the research addresses four questions: (1) how newspapers represent Kishor Gangs; (2) socio-economic and cultural factors influencing gang involvement; (3) the role of social media in gang activities; and (4) media portrayals of gangs and the justice system. Manual inductive thematic coding reveals that poverty, limited education, and family fragmentation drive gang recruitment, while platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Likee function as spaces for identity performance, reputation building, and digital territoriality. Media coverage often sensationalizes gang violence and glamorizes masculine identity performances, reinforcing risky behaviors. These findings highlight the need for coordinated interventions, including media literacy, youth-centered policies, and juvenile justice reforms, that address both offline socio-economic drivers and online communicative practices.

Key Words: Youth Gangs, Kishor Gangs, Social Media, Juvenile Delinquency, Bangladesh

About the Authors

* Musfiqur Rahman Chowdhury, MD., LLM, is an advocate and legal practitioner in district and sessional judge court in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

** Nur E Makbul, Ph.D. University of Southern Mississippi, is an assistant professor in Communication Arts at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, USA. Dr. Makbul's scholarly expertise is based on an interdisciplinary throughline that connects interpersonal communication, strategic

communication, health, cyberspace, and social justice with an emphasis on emerging mass media and/or social media research

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 17, No. 2, October 2025, pp. 89-98

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

Article Citation

Chowdhury, M. R. & E Makbul, N. (2025). Youth gangs in the digital age: Navigating the interplay between social media imagery and juvenile delinquency in Bangladesh. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 17 (2): 89-98.

Full Article

Words:  5,613

Pages: 10

To access full article, click on download.