THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS OF THAI YOUTH

Abstract

The evolution of social media in Thailand has an interesting beginning, expanding from limited communication to becoming a crucial social infrastructure over the past two decades. In the early days, social relationships among Thai youth in the virtual world were formed through discussion platforms (webboards) like Pantip or Dek-D and chat programs like MSN Messenger, which primarily focused on text-based interaction. Later, around 2007, the arrival of Hi5 and Facebook revolutionized self-expression through the use of images and clearer identification, resulting in a full transition of social relationships from the physical to the digital world. The key drivers that made social media an essential element for Thai youth were the leap in network technology and the widespread adoption of smartphones, enabling real-time access to information. The emergence of platforms focusing on short-form images and videos, such as Instagram and TikTok, later not only changed how media is consumed but also created a "participatory culture" where youth were not merely recipients of information but became content creators themselves. This change has blurred the boundaries between private and public spaces and has begun to significantly impact the structural patterns of relationships within families and peer groups.

Currently, social media has become the primary platform for shaping the social identity of Thai youth, ranking among the top in the world in terms of usage. However, this rapid growth has brought new challenges in relational dimensions, such as isolation in the real world while being bustling online, or the problem of social comparison leading to mental health issues. Therefore, the history of social media in Thailand is not just about technological advancement, but a chronicle of behavioral changes reflecting the adaptation of the younger generation amidst the irreversible tide of digital globalization.