Hybrid Platformism: Thailand’s Online Political Media Landscape

Abstract

Thailand’s digital media landscape has been transformed by hybrid platformism, a fragmented and dynamic ecosystem shaped by journalists, influencers, and activists operating across social media platforms. This study explores how hybrid platformism reconfigures journalism, blurs boundaries between reporting and advocacy, and reshapes media power. While digital platforms have enabled dissenting voices, they have also deepened structural vulnerabilities, including financial precarity and political co-optation. Tracing the shift from partisan polyvalence to platform-driven media, this article analyzes Thailand’s evolving media system from a comparative perspective, with parallels to Indonesia and the Philippines. Hybrid platformism emerges as both a site of contestation and fragility.