Research Results
1. People who use Facebook are able to create an impact on political movements as well as people who do not use
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立 政 治 大 學
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l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Table 27: Respondents’ opinion on the impact on political movements created by those who are Facebook users and not Facebook users
1. People who use Facebook are able to create an impact on political movements as well as people who do not use social media.
Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 17 1.1
Disagree 106 7.1
Moderately disagree 151 10.2
Undecided 340 23.0
Moderately agree 217 14.7
Agree 475 32.1
Strongly agree 174 11.8
Total 1480 100.0
Undisclosed 20
Total 1500
Table 28: Facebook’s role in political movements 2. Facebook plays an important role in political movements.
Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 37 2.5
Disagree 111 7.5
Moderately disagree 123 8.3
Undecided 359 24.3
Moderately agree 403 27.2
Agree 318 21.5
Strongly agree 128 8.7
Total 1479 100.0
Undisclosed 21
Total 1500
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Table 29: Facebook as the mainstream tool in organizing political movements 3.Facebook is the mainstream tool in organizing
political movements.
Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 28 1.9
Disagree 96 6.5
Moderately disagree 232 15.7
Undecided 341 23.0
Moderately agree 411 27.8
Agree 265 17.9
Strongly agree 107 7.2
Total 1480 100.0
Undisclosed 20
Total 1500
According to Table 27-29, 58.6 percent of respondents agreed that an impact on political movements can be created by those who are Facebook users and not Facebook users. According to the research result, almost 60 percent of respondents agreed that Facebook is influential regarding political movement. It can be used as a tool to mobilize people and dominate political ideology by the pro-government and anti-pro-government groups. More importantly, it connects online and offline political activities.
In addition, 57.4 percent of respondents agreed that Facebook plays an important role in political movement. As most respondents were young adults, they weremore likely to engage in political movements via social media especially Facebook platform than using any other traditional ways. Social media play an important role in political movement because it is easy to access and to engage in political movement. Moreover, as it is a connector, Facebook connect individual to collective political movements.
Moreover, people can update news, information, and observe another Facebook pages in real time and everywhere. Along with the result from Table 29, Facebook is the mainstream tool in organizing political movements. It is a connector which attracts people from every place across the country and beyond. On Facebook pages, they can post time, place and activities for both off line and online political movements. For example, people can change their status and picture which represent their political ideology.
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activities asking people to gather in different places and bring political symbols with them.Moderately disagree 155 10.5
Undecided 158 10.7
Moderately agree 401 27.1
Agree 457 30.9
Strongly agree 261 17.6
Total 1479 100.0
Undisclosed 21
Total 1500
Table 31: Facebook as the organizational tool in political movements 5.Facebook can be used as an organizational tool
in political movements.
Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 38 2.6
Disagree 99 6.7
Moderately disagree 219 14.9
Undecided 413 28.1
Moderately agree 391 26.6
Agree 241 16.4
Strongly agree 70 4.8
Total 1471 100.0
Undisclosed 29
Total 1500
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
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N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Table 32: Facebook as an alternative press
6.Facebook is considered as an alternative press. Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 20 1.4
Disagree 27 1.8
Moderately disagree 78 5.3
Undecided 175 11.9
Moderately agree 465 31.6
Agree 461 31.4
Strongly agree 244 16.6
Total 1470 100.0
Undisclosed 30
Total 1500
According to Table 30-32, 75.6 percent of respondents agreed that Facebook is the new channel for exchanging and distributing ideas and information.
Table 31, 47.8 percent of respondents were undecided whether Facebook can be used as an organizational tool in political movements, and Table 32, 79.6 percent of respondents moderately agreed that Facebook is considered as an alternative press.
This means that social media as Facebook is a new phenomenon. It is not only just a buzz world but also a way of life. Many people actively participate on online sites, such as Facebook, communicating via texting and chatting programs, and creating blogs are everyday occurrences for new era of mankind communication.
Based on research result, almost 80 percent represented a whole new form of political participation. The boundaries between offline and online stay unclear divided as it is tightly connected to each other. Facebook has become a new tool for communication while mainstream media were previously playing the main role. When communication technology is available for everyone, it links individual groups to the collective ones.
People consider Facebook as a new alternative press and as an organizational tool in political movements. The reason behind that, Facebook is not only communication tool but the new media that everyone can share and post their opinions in real time, and people can response quickly just only using their fingertips.
Facebook as a news media provides more freedom and choices allowing people to choose what they want based on their rational choices and ideology.
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立 政 治 大 學
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On the other hand, government can control a public media as TV, radio and newspaper easier than social media. Public media always change when political power is changed as political leader, such as the Yingluck government, the Abhisit government and the military, can control public media. Therefore, Facebook allows people to freely organize their political movements in both online and offline situation to show their political ideology.
Table 33: Facebook’s role in minimizing political conflict
7.Facebook canminimize political conflict. Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 113 7.7
Disagree 106 7.2
Moderately disagree 145 9.8
Undecided 526 35.6
Moderately agree 312 21.1
Agree 191 12.9
Strongly agree 83 5.6
Total 1476 100.0
Undisclosed 24
Total 1500
Table 34: The total amount of Facebook is an effective tool for political movement 8.Facebook is an effective tool for political
movement.
Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 37 2.5
Disagree 110 7.4
Moderately disagree 151 10.2
Undecided 468 31.7
Moderately agree 357 24.2
Agree 271 18.3
Strongly agree 84 5.7
Total 1478 100.0
Undisclosed 22
Total 1500
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立 政 治 大 學
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N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Table 35: Respondents’ opinion whether Facebook can lead to a further political movement
9.Facebook can lead to a further political movement. Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 26 1.8
Disagree 104 7.0
Moderately disagree 193 13.1
Undecided 375 25.4
Moderately agree 412 27.9
Agree 272 18.4
Strongly agree 95 6.4
Total 1477 100.0
Undisclosed 23
Total 1500
Table 36: Comparison between Facebook and other media channels in terms of providing freedom
10.Facebook provides more freedom than other media channels.
Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 23 1.6
Disagree 24 1.6
Moderately disagree 86 5.9
Undecided 242 16.6
Moderately agree 471 32.3
Agree 399 27.3
Strongly agree 215 14.7
Total 1460 100.0
Undisclosed 40
Total 1500
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
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N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
According to Table 33-36, 39.6 percent of respondents agreed that Facebook can minimize political conflict. Also Table 34, 48.2 percent of respondents agreed that Facebook is an effective tool for political movement, and Table 35, 52.7 percent of respondents agreed that Facebook can lead to a further political movement.
Similarly to Table 36, 74.3 percent of respondents agreed that Facebook provides more freedom than other media channels.
This means that people have more freedom of speech; they can deliberate more based on Facebook as a new media press and new channel of information. People can discuss, express their reasons and scrutinize information.
Facebook is a two-way communication while the main media (old media such as TV, radio and newspaper) do not allow audiences to participate. This is an advantage of using Facebook or other social media platforms that old media cannot offer. As people can have more information and access information more easily, political conflict especially from government and citizen can be minimized through these social media channels.
Moreover, Facebook is an effect tolls, and it can lead to a further political movement. As we were using open-ended questions with the interviewees from different region stratum, we found that 85.9 percent of the respondents had Facebook accounts. They had Facebook accounts because they wanted to connect with their co-workers and private friends. Evidently, Facebook is created through the network which starts from closer people, then spread out beyond border.
Not only young adult but also older people strongly agreed that Facebook is a powerful tool for communication. Interestingly, older people were willing to have Facebook accounts because they can receive information and news that main stream media do not offer. Moreover, they needed to connect with their friends, such as high-school friends and university friends. This advantage of Facebook allows people to be both a receiver and sender at the same time. Therefore, 60.8 percent from our respondents agreed that Facebook is the best communication platform comparing to other platforms, especially the old ones. As we can see, Facebook has an impact not only on the way people communicate to each other but also on people’s behavior, most importantly, on recent political movement in Thailand.
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立 政 治 大 學
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N a tio na
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Table 37: People’s involvement in political movement through Facebook 10.Thai people are always involved in political movement
through Facebook.
Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 28 1.9
Disagree 71 4.9
Moderately disagree 173 11.9
Undecided 340 23.4
Moderately agree 454 31.2
Agree 292 20.1
Strongly agree 98 6.7
Total 1456 100.0
Undisclosed 44
Total 1500
Table 38: The role of Facebook and mainstream media in encouraging Thai people to participate political movement
11.Facebook encourages Thai people to participate political movement rather than mainstream media.
Amount Percentage
Strongly disagree 29 2.0
Disagree 69 4.7
Moderately disagree 162 11.0
Undecided 448 30.4
Moderately agree 402 27.3
Agree 277 18.8
Strongly agree 88 6.0
Total 1475 100.0
Undisclosed 25
Total 1500
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changing people’s behavior to be more aggressive12. Facebook has changed your behavior to be more