Top 10 topics that received the most attention, communication, and engagement online in July 2.566
Number 1: The vote for Prime Minister and the stance of the Move Forward Party.
Most of the comments originated from the official TikTok channel of the Move Forward Party. The most popular topic was the statement expressing confidence in the public regarding the first Prime Minister vote. Other posts included videos of support for the Move Forward Party from citizens, singers, and actors, as well as posts from various media outlets showing citizens commenting on the party's stance.
Ranked #2 in popularity is the drama "Matalada".
This comes from compiling short clips from the drama, particularly scenes featuring the lead actress, Toey Jarinporn. Social media users continue to express their appreciation for the drama, praising its entertainment value and educational content. Furthermore, comments suggest the drama has helped Thai society relieve stress from watching political news.
In third place, the Pheu Thai Party is the leading party in forming the government.
Following two unsuccessful votes for prime minister, the Move Forward Party was forced to back down, allowing the Pheu Thai Party to lead the formation of a government. However, Pheu Thai's political stance of allying with the former ruling party sparked warnings from social media users. Subsequently, Pheu Thai announced its alliance with the former ruling party, leading to widespread criticism.
Ranked 4th: The Constitutional Court ordered Pita to cease performing his duties as a Member of Parliament.
During the second vote for prime minister, the Constitutional Court ordered Pita Limjaroenrat to cease performing his duties as a Member of Parliament. The most viewed post was from a news outlet showing Pita Limjaroenrat leaving the parliamentary chamber. The majority of social media comments condemned the Constitutional Court's ruling as unfair.
Ranked 5th in the second round of voting, Pita was chosen as Prime Minister.
This refers to the incident where the majority of the parliamentary assembly voted that the re-nomination of Pita Limjaroenrat as Prime Minister violated parliamentary rules. It also mentions the issuance of statements by organizations such as the Lawyers Council of Thailand arguing that a second nomination of a Prime Minister is permissible because there are no constitutional restrictions, and that Article 41 of parliamentary rules, which applies to general motions, cannot be invoked to enforce this.
Ranked 6th, the Move Forward Party and Pheu Thai Party nominated Wan Muhammad Noor Matha as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Prior to the nomination of Wan Muhammad Noor Matha as Speaker of the House, there were rumors that the Pheu Thai Party disagreed with the Move Forward Party's bid for the position. This led to a meeting between the two parties, which concluded that the position would be given to Wan Muhammad Noor Matha. Following Pita Limjaroenrat's failure to become Prime Minister, social media users heavily criticized the Pheu Thai Party. Conversely, there was also support for the Move Forward Party, which, despite winning the most votes, did not receive any parliamentary position.
Ranked 7th, Phlai Sak Surin traveled from Sri Lanka back to Thailand due to illness.
Plai Sak Surin was an elephant sent by the Thai government as a goodwill envoy to Sri Lanka in 2544. Later, it was discovered that Plai Sak Surin's health had deteriorated due to overwork. The Thai government, led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contacted the Sri Lankan government to request that Plai Sak Surin be brought back to Thailand for medical treatment. Social media users generally expressed gratitude to the Thai government for bringing Plai Sak Surin back to Thailand for treatment.
8st place #Senator'sBusiness and #Senator'sMistress retaliate against Senators who did not vote for the Prime Minister from the Move Forward Party.
The inability of the Move Forward Party to form a government was partly due to the Senate's refusal to approve them. This led to backlash from dissatisfied social media users who used the hashtag #SenatorBusiness to boycott businesses owned by senators and their families. Some businesses also refused to allow senators, the Election Commission, or related individuals to use their services. The hashtag #SenatorMistress stemmed from the posting of old photos on social media of a senator posing with a woman who was not his wife, sparking widespread criticism at the time.
Ranked 9th, MP Seri Phisut suggests the Move Forward Party should become the opposition.
Following the incident where MP Seripisut Temiyavej joined a statement with the Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party, containing remarks suggesting that the Move Forward Party should sacrifice its position and become the opposition, which was widely reported by the media, social media users have widely criticized MP Seripisut Temiyavej. This criticism is particularly directed at those who voted for the Move Forward Party and expected it to lead the formation of the government.
Ranked #10: MP Chada's debate during the first vote to make Pita Prime Minister.
News of MP Chada Thaiseth's debate during the first prime ministerial vote, focusing on his opposition to political parties advocating for amendments to Article 112, along with his aggressive demeanor and style, generated significant interest and led to many people searching for information about MP Chada's background on social media.
Based on online communication trends in July 2023 across five platforms – 1) Facebook, 2) Twitter, 3) Instagram, 4) YouTube, and 5) TikTok – it was found that the majority of discussions focused on political issues. Therefore, Media Alert and Wisesight agreed to study three political issues that consistently garnered significant attention and criticism on social media throughout July 2023, ranking among the top priorities based on engagement: 1) the vote for prime minister and the stance of the Move Forward Party; 2) the Pheu Thai Party leading the formation of the government; and 3) the Constitutional Court's order for Pita to cease his duties as an MP. Details are as follows:
It can be seen that the majority of engagement comes from two main channels: TikTok (43%) and Facebook (34%). The two topics with the most engagement were from the Move Forward Party's official TikTok account, averaging 1.7 million engagements per post. The third-highest engagement came from Themodevan's account, which composed a song to encourage the Move Forward Party, receiving approximately 1.2 million engagements.
Social media users who showed interest in issues related to the Move Forward Party, particularly posts announcing the formation of a government based on the will of the people to stop the continuation of power, the party's statement before the first prime minister election, and the party's statement after failing to secure votes for Pita as prime minister on the issue of amending Article 112, showed the following engagement when categorized: individuals (52 million engagements), followed by social media influencers (30.3 million), media/news outlets (10.7 million), political parties (6.4 million), and others (approximately 7,000 engagements). The majority of these engagements were expressions of support for the Move Forward Party and appreciation for artists who composed songs in support of the party.
The majority of engagement comes from two main channels: Facebook (41%) and TikTok (35%). The top three most engaged topics originated from TikTok Zocialnews, which posted a news article about Pita Limjaroenrat's interview with reporters regarding whether he would step aside if the Move Forward Party failed to form a government; from the Facebook account Paul Pattarapon, who posted a message warning the Pheu Thai Party against allying with former ruling parties; and from the TikTok account Pondonnews, which discussed Add Carabao's satirical song about the Pheu Thai Party.
In terms of engagement on the issue, it was found that 25 million engagements came from the media, followed by 8.3 million engagements from social media users, 3.3 million from political parties and politicians, 3.2 million from social media influencers, and approximately 3 million from others such as brands and the government. The majority of engagement called for the Pheu Thai Party to respect the people's decision and to cooperate with the Move Forward Party until the Senate's membership expires. This also included sarcastic remarks about Add Carabao regarding the land at Khao Kradong after Add wrote a song satirizing both the Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties.
The majority of engagement comes from two main channels: Facebook (38%) and TikTok (27%). The top three topics with the most engagement came from PPTV and ONE31 channels: news about Pita Limjaroenrat walking out of parliament after the Constitutional Court ordered him to cease performing his duties, and a clip from BBC News on the issue of Pita Limjaroenrat being suspended by the Constitutional Court.
Regarding social media user interest in this issue, it was found that 17.3 million engagements came from media outlets, followed by 15 million engagements from social media influencers, 9.7 million engagements from internet users, and 303,669 engagements from political parties and politicians. The majority of engagement was in the same vein, criticizing the Constitutional Court's decision. Some expressed a lack of faith in the Constitutional Court's ruling and questioned the legitimacy of other independent organizations such as the Election Commission and the Senate, which are not elected by the people.
In summary, in July 2023, social media users continued to show significant interest in 8 out of 10 political issues. The most popular issues concerned the two Prime Minister votes from the Move Forward Party, and the Pheu Thai Party leading the formation of a government after the Move Forward Party failed to do so. The remaining two issues related to media and entertainment, such as the TV drama "Matalada," and animal-related matters, specifically the return of the elephant Phlai Sak Surin to Thailand.
