Thai Millennials' Online Political Engagement: Investigating Mechanisms behind Their Motivation

Abstract

This study used the mixed-method research to examine the motivation and engagement among the Thai millennials through online political communication on Facebook of news agencies. The online survey (n = 225) and focus group interview (n = 40) samples were Thai university students and first jobbers who regularly used Facebook and subscribed to news agencies on Facebook. Applying the Selective Exposure Theory, Spiral of Silence Theory, and Uses and Gratification Theory, the study examined whether samples’ selective exposure and willingness to self-censor influence their motivation for engaging with four types of political news content – 1) informational, 2) entertaining, 3) remunerative, and 4) relational content. The Multiple Regression analysis results showed that samples’ willingness to self-censor and selective exposure had an association with every engagement type of online political news content. The analysis of focus groups also revealed emerging themes that informants had motivations for engaging with relational and entertaining news content. Accordingly, this research proposed the journey of online political engagement on Facebook. These results are unique within the Thai Millennials generation, for which the context of Thai culture, law, and regulation during the period of conducting this research was further discussed. Future research should clarify the differences in motivation between generations.