Thai Political Culture and Participation in the Era of Connectivity

Abstract

The aim of the article "Thai Culture and Political Participation in the Age of Connectivity" was to study the definition of political culture and the context of political participation in the Age of Connectivity as follows: 1) definition of culture and political participation 2) democratic culture and political participation, and 3) discussion on Thai political context in the age of connectivity. Educational methods from documents, textbooks, and electronic media were used in the research. Political culture and political participation were analyzed using Almond and Verba's theories, and Rodrik's theory of extreme globalization.

The results showed that Political culture and political participation were the stereotypes, attitudes, and beliefs of individuals towards the political system of the members of a political system through the process of socialization and environment, social institutions, history, traditions, religion, and political culture to political participation. These were the keys to liberal democracy.

Culture and political participation were participatory democracies in which people demonstrated the capacity to make collective decisions that influenced government policy choices or public administration, or election of political leaders. Such participation was fundamental to democratic politics.

Thai political context in the era of participatory connectivity, Thailand needed to be concerned with the economic power of transnational trade, the power of communication via the Internet and social media as well as the dispersive power of technology causing widespread and rapid changes in the economy, society, culture, and politics. Therefore, in the world of connectivity, Thai political culture could not be predicted in any way, but rather as a participatory process. The more diverse the political views, the more positive.