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DESIGNING fOR SAFER DIGITAL BEHAVIOR

Thailand & Cambodia

Internews

Research, Strategy & Capacity Strengthening

PARTNER / CLIENT

Internews Thailand and Cambodia

THE CHALLENGE

Across Southeast Asia, people are navigating a flood of information, misinformation, and digital threats—often without the tools or confidence to assess what’s true or safe.

 

In Thailand and Cambodia, Internews aimed to build stronger digital literacy—especially among youth and vulnerable populations. But conventional media literacy campaigns often felt too abstract or disconnected from people’s daily realities.

 

What was needed was a grounded, empathetic approach that started with people, not platforms.

OUR APPROACH

Thailand

Sidekick led the full journey—from behavioral insight to message testing to implementation.

We identified three core digital personas—each with distinct struggles and trust dynamics in how they consume online information:

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  • Digital Natives (Teens and First - jobbers) – Emotion-driven, curious, and highly active on TikTok and YouTube. Their digital lives revolve around peer validation, viral trends, and emotional storytelling.

  • Digital Migrants (Working-age Adults) – Busy, pragmatic users who rely on digital content to manage daily life. They respond to clear, factual information—especially if backed by data or authority.

  • Digital Boomers (Older Adults) – Heavy users of closed messaging apps like LINE. They’re highly influenced by personal networks and tend to trust what’s shared by friends or family.
     

Each group required a different content approach. We developed:

  • 🎯 Peer-to-peer, emotionally resonant content for teens

  • 📊 Data-led, credible explainers for digital migrants

  • 🧓 Simple, conversational messaging for boomers—delivered through familiar platforms like LINE

 

We didn’t just design for them—we tested and refined the materials with them.
The result was a suite of co-created content that reflected real online behaviors, emotional needs, and trust pathways—while equipping each group with the tools to navigate scams, misinformation, and digital risks more safely.

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Cambodia

In Cambodia, our role focused on research and capacity-building.

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We trained and mentored a youth-led research team, equipping them with Sidekick’s human-centered tools—empathy mapping, daily journey logs, and peer interviews.

Together, we explored how rural youth navigate online spaces—what drives their engagement, what risks they face, and who they trust.

 

Rather than framing them as “uninformed,” the findings highlighted emotional drivers like boredom, peer pressure, and social isolation—and surfaced stories of positive deviants already modeling safer behaviors.

 

We co-analyzed the data and supported Internews and its partners in designing more grounded, targeted communication strategies—ensuring interventions reflected the reality of how youth actually experience the digital world.

SIDEKICK'S ROLE

  • Behavioral research and audience segmentation (Thailand & Cambodia)

  • Message and content strategy development for Thai implementation

  • Design and production of digital literacy materials for Thailand

  • Capacity-building for youth researchers in Cambodia

  • Cross-cultural facilitation and co-analysis with local teams

  • Synthesis of emotional, cultural, and media insights for both countries

IMPACT

  • Reached over 1 million Thai users through LINE, YouTube, and trusted local influencers

  • Developed content rooted in lived experience and tailored to real user needs across age groups

  • Built capacity and confidence among Cambodian youth researchers to lead their own insights-driven work

  • Delivered a replicable model for digital literacy that centers empathy, behavior, and cultural nuance

WHY IT MATTERS

  • One-size-fits-all messaging fails in diverse digital ecosystems — audience insight drives relevance and cut-through

  • Trust is shaped by emotional drivers and peer dynamics, not just facts — brands need to speak in ways that resonate at a human level

  • Co-created, audience-tested content ensures communications meet people where they are, across ages and digital habits

  • Empathy-led approaches strengthen brand credibility and foster deeper engagement with overlooked or harder-to-reach users

  • Capacity-building and participatory methods make communications more sustainable, scalable, and locally meaningful over time

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