AGENDA SETTING IN DIGITAL AGE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEMPORARY THAI SOCIETY ON THAI-CAMBODIAN BORDER CONFLICT

Abstract

The objectives of this academic article were to analyze the dynamics of political agenda setting in the digital era through the case study of the 2025 Thai–Cambodian border conflict. The objective was to understand how political communication has shifted from an era where the state and mainstream media held a monopoly over agenda setting, to a new environment where social media and digital citizens play crucial roles in shaping the public discourse. The study synthesized existing scholarship on political communication, along with secondary data from both mass media and digital platforms. The findings revealed three key aspects: 1. Agenda setting is no longer monopolized by the state or mainstream media, as digital citizens, influencers, and online media increasingly shape and drive political discourse. 2. Digital networks allow for multiple interpretive frames of the conflict, ranging from security and nationalism to human rights and peace. 3. The dynamics of online agenda setting empower citizens to monitor, criticize, and participate in political debates, while also generating new challenges such as misinformation, disinformation, and heightened political polarization. The article argued that political agenda setting in the digital era is becoming more complex, no longer functioning as a one-way communication process from state to citizen. Instead, it represents a contested discursive arena where multiple actors negotiate meanings and frame political issues. The Thai-Cambodian border conflict illustrated how digital citizens can set the dominant agenda, often surpassing state narratives and reshaping the political landscape of contemporary Thailand.