(November 23, 64) The Safe and Creative Media Development Fund unveiled research findings tracking online social trends and gathered feedback and suggestions from academic and professional experts in media and information, as well as related network partners, at a seminar entitled “…”Trends and Tweets: Interests, opinions, and emotions in the online world.
โดย Dr. Thanakorn Srisukhsai, Manager of the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund. He presided over the opening ceremony and delivered a special lecture on "Monitoring the Communication Landscape of Online Society," with the following participants: Asst. Prof. Atthapol Anantaworasakul, lecturer in Social Studies Education, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University; Mr. Sunit Chetha, Managing Director and Director of Change Fusion Institute; Mr. Rawee Tawantharong, President of the Online News Producers Association; Mr. Kla Tangsuwan, Chief Executive Officer of Wisesight (Thailand) Co., Ltd.; Assoc. Prof. Pichitra Supasawatkul, lecturer in Journalism, Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University; Dr. Chamnan Ngammaneeudom, expert and Acting Director of Policy and Strategy; and Mr. Parames Minasiri, Managing Director of Bandit Center Co., Ltd.
Dr. Thanakorn Srisukhsai, Manager of the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund. said
"Currently, social media plays a significant role in daily life, giving rise to a new society, or 'online society,' which is crucial in shaping communication and the lifestyles of people in society. As online society becomes more prevalent in daily life, it's worth closely observing how internet users' behavior, interests, opinions, and emotions toward news, stories, and events online tend to change, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Safe and Creative Media Development Fund has been conducting research on the media situation and media consumption behavior, or "Media Alert," since early 2564. Using academic research methods, the project reports information and knowledge, and continuously raises awareness about media and communication in society. Media Alert's work aligns with the objectives of the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund, which focuses on developing, promoting, and supporting a safe and creative media ecosystem. Having undertaken this work for some time, it is deemed appropriate to hold a forum to present the results of the research on the media situation and media consumption behavior in society, conducted in collaboration with Bandit Center Co., Ltd., in order to gather opinions and suggestions from academic experts, media and communication professionals, and relevant network partners. This will provide the Fund with a body of knowledge and academic data to inform policy and work plans related to monitoring and analyzing media and societal communication in the future.
The research team at Media Alert, led by... Dr. Chamnan Ngammaneeudom, Expert, Acting Director of Policy and Strategy. Referring to the research findings:
“Research conducted over a three-month period from April, May, and June 2021 reveals a correlation between social sentiment from Google Trends and Facebook. Differences in communication and user interests were found between the two platforms. Google was primarily used for searching for information about lottery and gambling, while Facebook was mainly used for communicating on topics related to lifestyle, the media industry, and entertainment. However, a key common theme found on both platforms was communication and interest in various aspects of the COVID-19 situation. Furthermore, analysis of Twitter responses regarding specific COVID-19 issues over the three months showed predominantly negative expressions. These findings not only reflect online trends, emotions, and expression methods but also connect to the interests, attitudes, and communication behaviors of people in society. Further analysis is needed to determine how to create or develop communication mechanisms to foster a positive media ecosystem and harmonious social interaction.”
Mr. Parames Minthira, Managing Director of Bandhit Center Co., Ltd. A representative from the research team stated that the team... Media Alert Data was collected from online platforms by studying three types of online platforms as follows:
- Google – Review the most popular search terms/keywords during the 3 months the study was conducted.
- Facebook - Observe trends or areas of interest among people by studying various fan pages (not personal pages) and collecting information about conversations.
- Twitter – Observe emotional expression and track hashtag (#) trends to understand people's feelings when discussing various social and political issues.
Our team has been collecting this data for a long time, but it has never been presented to the public before. Today, we would like to present the data to everyone and ask for your comments and suggestions so that this study can be more useful.
Academic experts, professionals in media and information communication, as well as related network partners, have expressed their opinions on the research. Associate Professor Atthaphol Anantaworasakul, a lecturer in Social Studies Education at the Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, is one of them. said I think the findings of this study reflect a social situation where people are becoming more hopeless and discouraged. For example, the obsession with lottery tickets and their results reflects the feelings of the lower middle class who face social and economic inequality and yearn for hope in life and to improve their economic status, but don't know how. Regarding people scrutinizing other people's lifestyles (in terms of usage)... Facebook demonstrates how people seek escape from their imperfect lives and look to role models for their lives, or how gossiping about celebrities and criticizing them harshly and excessively views news figures or influencers as public figures. This leads online users to feel they have the freedom to criticize these individuals, potentially crossing the boundaries of privacy and escalating to the creation of hate speech.
I think that's absent in our society right now. There isn't enough public space for open discussion, so people resort to online platforms or create online spaces for those with shared interests. I don't want these behaviors to be viewed solely as negative, but rather as a reflection of the fact that our society currently lacks sufficient public space for dialogue. We haven't adequately educated the public about the boundaries of criticism, and government agencies should communicate and raise awareness about these issues more. The media itself frequently and repeatedly presents these kinds of stories, leading people to focus solely on them. A significant amount of fake news originates from adults and is passed on to children, as is the use of abusive language online, which isn't limited to children; adults themselves engage in hate speech considerably. Furthermore, children lack appropriate spaces for open communication with adults, so they increasingly seek out online platforms to express themselves, such as recording videos and sharing their problems in order to garner attention and a receptive audience.
The stressful atmosphere in society today highlights the fact that people are less aware of their own stress, a consequence of constantly being exposed to stressful news. I want relevant agencies to understand and listen more to the public to understand why they express themselves in certain ways on online platforms. Therefore, I expect this research to lead to collaborative social learning. I also see that education is a social issue that has been discussed more frequently in the last year or two. We've seen increased communication between teachers and students as citizens, but it might just be a fleeting trend. I'd like to see more discussions and debates about education like this, leading to more effective solutions. (Social Listening to Social Learning) Studying Media Alerts will provide a good way to gauge the social climate. Right now, people need a neutral space for open discussion, and this is a crucial issue that can drive social change.
Sunit Chetha, Managing Director and Director of Change Fusion Institute. said I think thatOnline spaces reflect the nature of the people within them. One peculiarity of online spaces is that, while seemingly closed and private, people discuss issues that cannot be openly discussed elsewhere. For example, topics like sex and online prostitution pose increased risks to younger individuals and youth who access such content.
This research is useful for raising awareness, but consideration should be given to the ethical considerations of conducting research of this type, especially studying politically sensitive data that requires confidentiality/permission.(Consent) Regarding the use of information from news sources, I would like to ask what can be done with the data we obtained from this study? I think it can help us identify specific problems, such as fake news, misinformation, and the sale of illegal goods, which relevant government agencies can address immediately after seeing the data from this study.
Regarding "hate speech" online, it's an issue with the risk of leading to bigger problems, or the role of viewing violence, such as the dispersal of protests, where there are discussions about the legitimacy of both sides, or attempts to justify the dispersal of protests based on misinformation. Information operations (IO) and the presentation of nonviolent approaches by opposition groups could significantly reduce the risk of escalating violence and conflict if we had a media alert mechanism to help address these issues. I encourage all sectors to find collaborative social solutions based on this study's findings. I agree with Professor Atthapol on the importance of applying research findings in practice (Social Listening to Social Learning and Action), and the media fund itself can play a role in this. Furthermore, the dissemination of misinformation, particularly related to COVID-19, has led to the emergence of "correctors" who help reduce fake news. This highlights an interesting aspect: how can we encourage more people to participate in this role?
Mr. Rawee Tawantharong, President of the Online News Producers Association. say I'd like you to separate these three words first. "Online interests, opinions, and emotions," and how we can use data from these three areas to further our work. Currently, people are also receiving information from sources other than online platforms, such as television, radio, or even mobile advertising vehicles in communities. We may need to reconsider that Bangkok does not represent the entirety of Thailand. For example, searching for lottery results is a search conducted by the majority of people in the country, reflecting certain situations within society at present.
I believe there should be support for creating an online media ecosystem, where now everyone can present information.The availability of information online allows people to freely gather and use information. Therefore, we should cultivate good information literacy among the public. This will enable people to know how to express their opinions and comments appropriately and correctly when they encounter various types of information. Currently, citizens can act as their own "media," and media organizations must be able to survive through market mechanisms (not through donations). They must produce content to attract audiences, which may involve ethical considerations in presentation. Therefore, I would like to see government organizations support the production of content by media organizations that reflects the image of society and contributes to its development. This will help create a global standard for collaboration. The key point I want to emphasize is listening and understanding.
Khun Kla Tangsuwan, Chief Executive Officer, Wisesight (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said The overall picture of this study is not unlike that of conducting... Social listening allows us to see more and more social changes. ซึ่งI think it's good that we're analyzing and utilizing this data more because it helps the government understand the public better, the private sector understand its customers better, and people understand each other better. It's like when parents and children have problems; if the parents understand their child and see that they have more knowledge and experience, then there will be a better outcome. Empathy with children and the ability to communicate without conflict are crucial, but the study of these subjects is never perfect and requires continuous learning.
I think we need to analyze this data to determine what the facts are, using scientific methods. We need to have a framework for doing this. Data analytics is important, but don't forget that the study of online opinions and expressions shouldn't separate online from reality, because we're studying real people. It's just their online expression.
Regarding the study of various platforms, it is necessary to clearly understand the behavior of each user group. Discrimination on different platforms inherently involves unfairness due to the nature of each type of media. Therefore, when using data, it is crucial to consider these unfair uses or expressions by individuals. Due to unequal social status, we may not be able to determine whether everyone's voice is equal or whether they can create the same impact on society. Such studies should be conducted frequently to continuously observe changes, identify what is missing, and serve as a check and balance tool for society or relevant government agencies to see if we are working on the right track. I agree with everyone who has spoken, but I believe that if we can perform digital analysis, we should also examine smaller data points and voices reflected in our data. In short, we need to look at both major and minor issues to understand the problems of specific groups that truly need help.
Associate Professor Pichitra Supasawatkul, Department of Journalism, Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University. sayI think thatThe work I've done has been... The kickoff of Media Alert was good, highlighting what the media is reflecting today, and working with the Media Fund is a suitable collaboration. Each online platform has a different format, therefore people's media usage behavior varies. Even the same person will behave differently when using different platforms. Compare withProject implementation Media Monitoring was extremely demanding work in that era. It involved visually examining and manually decoding information, but it provided a very clear picture of how mainstream media operates. I feel it was the only job that truly answered the question of how and where the media plays its role. Therefore, I would like to tell the research team... Media Alert: We are currently in the process of filtering information from social media. We would appreciate it if the team's analysis could shift from "What Happens?" to "Why Did This Event Happen in Thai Society?" This would make the work much more valuable. But I want the research team.Beware of…
- Filtering and studying the information to determine whether it truly reflects the voices of netizens.
- Presenting this study for policy development requires caution to avoid influencing public expression, as online spaces are a key aspect. A public sphere that provides freedom of presentation and expression for the public.
- Please be careful. IO (Information Operations) and fake voices/accounts exist online because these voices do not reflect the true information of the public.
In addition Stakeholders in online media are crucial in making social media a positive space, including both government and media organizations. The global trend in media regulation is moving towards governance rather than government. This study reflects both "voice" and "noise." Personally, I believe government policies tend to respond more to "noise" or public complaints. I agree with you, Kla, that policies and solutions should stem more from "voice" and genuinely consider the public interest, without waiting for people to voice their concerns before implementing policies.
Dr. Chamnan Ngammaneeudom, Expert, Acting Director of Policy and Strategy. said "The Media Alert project is a research study on the media situation and media consumption behavior. We will update information and insights on various aspects of media and social communication to present the results of analytical studies on important issues or those of public interest, using reliable academic principles and methodologies that keep pace with societal trends and practical applications. We believe that we all have a role to play in creating and developing a safe and constructive media ecosystem.”
Thank you to the speakers of the "Trends and Tweets: Interests, Opinions, and Emotions in the Online World" seminar for their valuable comments and suggestions. These will be used to develop our research on interests, opinions, and emotions in the online world conducted from July to December 2564. The fund is currently working on this research in collaboration with the Graduate Center, and the findings will be reported to the public through the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund's communication channels and Media Alert.
Those interested can view a video summarizing the study results at: https://www.facebook.com/101419281960296/posts/270245071744382
