The information landscape of rural teenage girls: A study of district Swabi, Pakistan

This research explores how teenage girls in the Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, handle information. It's all about understanding the ways they find, utilize, and spread the word, and any roadblocks they hit along the way. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 teenage girls between 16 and 17 years of age, from the first-year students of government colleges of Swabi district, selected through purposive sampling. The thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The findings show that for information seeking, these girls depend on Google, YouTube, and ChatGPT for both fun and school stuff. But they still use more traditional sources, like books, newspapers, and their social circles, showing that these old-school methods are still important in their daily lives. The research shows that participants are quite adept at applying the information they find to various everyday situations, such as cooking, beauty routines, preparing projects, and even health-related matters. But even though these rural teenage girls are resourceful, they still run into some big challenges. This study emphasizes that we need to do more for rural girls, like boost internet access and create information programs that are mindful of local cultures, so everyone can get the information they need.