As in any other contexts, Thai youth generally appear as disaffected citizens and usual suspects for
political apathy and engagement deprivation. Nevertheless, there still exists a few youth-based organizations that have proven to be highly politically active, projecting consistent political presence –in the institutional electoral politics as well as in civic politics.
Meanwhile, amidst political crisis that has plagued Thailand in recent years, online social media have emerged as new and highly potential terrain for political communication. With the fundamental user-generated content attribute, these new media have not only provided forum for information exchange, but have also contributed to the building of social capital for selected political youth groups. This study takes the activist youth organizations and their use of new online social media in their political endeavors as its point of departure to ask the following research questions:
1) How political youth groups employ new media in their political communication and activism?
2) What are the characteristics of political/civic identity that have been developed, if any, through online political communication and activism of these youth groups?
This study relies on two related theoretical perspectives in developing its theoretical framework–models of democracy and citizenship, and analytical perspectives on new media, youth, and citizenship (B. Loader, 2007).
The research uses qualitative methodology — case study approach to pursue the above investigations. The case studies are drawn from interviews and unobtrusive observations of activities of members belonging to four youth groups: 1) Student Federation of Thailand, 2) Youth Cares for Thailand, and 3) Student Alliance against Autonomous University and 4) Youth Conserve Environment Prachuap Khiri Khan. The findings show that these youth groups employ online social media in political communication in six ways: 1) accessing to information, 2) communicating and coordinating among group members, 3) publicizing and communicating with public, 4) networking and mobilizing, 5) building alternative public sphere and, 6) constructing political identity. How the young activists use online social media in political participation depends on different factors. These factors are: shortage of human and financial resources, internet access capability, timing, the recognition of the Internet as political communicative media, alternatives for other media platforms, as well as the types of activity and the characteristics of participants whom the young activists aim to communicate with and mobilize.
The Internet, especially online social media, works as a complementary tool to strengthen collective identity of youth groups. Young activists use online social media to communicate with the public about their concerns, purposes, and ideologies. Moreover, to strengthen youth groups’ identities, other political actors such as student networks who share similar goals, supporters of youth’s activities, non-governmental organizations, traditional media, and news agencies use internet to publicize and re-disseminate youth groups’ stories and activities. However, the collective identities of youth groups on the Internet are perceived mostly via one-way communication. In the other words, young activists do not construct and develop their identities via political deliberation and discussion in the way of two-way communication. Thus, it can be concluded that youth groups in Thailand do not recognize and use full potential of the Internet.