ปัจเจกนิยมดิจิทัลกับการเปลี่ยนแปลงวัฒนธรรมทางการเมืองไทยของ Generation Z

Prathompong Maneerat

Authors

Prathompong Maneerat Independent Scholar

Keywords:

Generation Z, Digital Individualization, Thai Political Culture, Digital Politics, Political Legitimacy

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between Generation Z, digital individualization, and the transformation of Thai political culture in the context of a digital society. Employing interpretive literature synthesis, the article explores the characteristics of younger generations within digital environments and the implications of social media for the relationship between individuals and political authority. The article argues that the expansion of digital technologies and networked information environments has encouraged younger generations to interpret and evaluate public issues increasingly through their own experiences and judgments. At the same time, social media has become a digital public sphere that facilitates information access, network formation, and issue-based political participation. This article proposes the concept of “digital individualization” as an analytical framework for explaining the process through which digital environments increasingly compel individuals to interpret, assess, and negotiate political legitimacy independently under conditions where political meanings and information are no longer monopolized by institutional centers of authority. As a result, political legitimacy in contemporary Thai society increasingly depends on public interpretation, negotiation, and recognition through digital networks. The article concludes that a significant transformation in contemporary Thai politics lies not only in changing forms of political participation among younger generations, but also in the changing relationship between citizens, political authority, and political legitimacy within Thailand’s contemporary political culture.

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