Religious-tainment: Communicating the Merit-Making Concept in Buddhism on Social Network Sites through Design Thinking Processes

Abstract

                 This research aims to promote a new guideline for producing an effective online medium to convey the concept of merit-making in Buddhism across Buddhists in Thailand via prototyping the online medium on social network sites named “Konthaitumboon”. This mixed research method was applied alongside notions of design thinking processes and religious-tainment in the production. Researchers explored Thai Buddhists’ behaviors regarding merit-making through Luangpor Pramote Pamojjo (Wat Suan Santidham)’s online media. The collected information was utilized for the production.
                  The researchers discovered that the prototype was an effective communication tool which was able to attract more than 1,400 participants to interact with the medium. There were 3 significant aspects from the study to be concluded for the guideline. Firstly, Selecting Contents and Appropriate References must be concerned. The utilized content in the production must signify within the scope of Buddhism as well as depart from other religious beliefs. The reliability of the content must also be paid attention for further study purposes. Secondly, Using Simple Language and Reachable Communication Channels in Digital Age are significant towards understanding the key concept of the Buddha’s teaching among Thai Buddhists in the digital age. This would minimize misunderstanding the concept unlike other older formats of the Buddhist’s teaching medium which were often presented in old fashion language and presented in printed mediums. Lastly, Enhancing Participation through Communication Strategies is another important element toward attention. Communicating through “quiz” associating with drawing and a challenging message would maximize the targeted audience’s desire toward his or her ability regarding the knowledge in Buddhism. This would allow the targeted audience to be entertained and learned at the same time.