(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
The students who provide information commented
“Actually, I login Facebook for chatting with my friends almost everyday and
talk about everything in general. I am not interested in politics even less but
Facebook makes me realize what is happening in political situations when the
situations occur. I do not need to seek any information. It comes to me when I login
it.”
“I am online to play games. I know from the instant messages of my friends to
update the protest situation. Information runs into me and I do not need to find any
where else.”
2.Facebook stimulating greater interest in politics and the participation
University Students who provided information told that they were more
interested in politics from Facebook. At the result, they wanted to participate in
politics. For instance, they replied the topic after another continually. They also
focused on issues that occurred each day by tracking information via Facebook. In the
past, the Students who provided information was the member of Facebook for
connecting with their friends, playing games and posting pictures. They used
Facebook for entertainment only, but they were more interested in politics from the
severe political crisis during that period, practically on government declaration a
curfew and announce holiday for a week. Therefore, the students had more time and
most TV programs were often postponed by the announcement of CRES. Moreover,
various department stores were closed as well. Most people in Bangkok and its
vicinity areas of the provocation had to stay at home, so the Internet, especially
Facebook was one of the channels to communicate in online social networks. In
addition, online social network which shared the same interest in politics made the
students to participate more in politics by sharing opinion and replying the forum after
another.
Besides, the students had been shown their participation and comments with
the situation at that time. They also changed their profile picture as a similar picture to
prove their viewpoint of politics. No violence group had Thai flag that was in the
middle of some corollas and had some texts “Thais love Thais. Different ideas, but no
violence”. They created page “WeLoveThai” on Facebook which users pressed
“Like” on this page more than 30,000 users, and they also created website for the
campaign of no violence “http://www.welovethai.in.th”. Some students changed their
profile picture as the page “WeLoveThai” because they believed when situation in
Thailand was in violence, it would lead Thailand to damage.
“We have a space for comment where we have freedom of thought. At home
we can participate and no need to join the rally.”
“At least I can give my opinion without anyone block. I play in a cyber
world.”
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