May 22 last year was another historic day for Thailand, and for me. It was the day military junta launched the country’s 13th coup d’état. They imposed martial law, repealed the former Constitutions and curfew nationwide. That was 2 months after I graduated and joined TV Asahi, a leading Japanese news television, working as a correspondent and news researcher. The day meant a beginning of great experience for a young journalist like me. It allowed me to witness a following series of events which are described by many as the realization of George Orwelles' ‘1984’. Academics are summoned for “attitude adjustment”. Anti-coup activists are threatened and detained. Junta’s propaganda anthem is heard everywhere. Media are under close surveillance. People are afraid to publicly express what they think. These have a considerable impact on me not only as a journalist, but also as a Thai citizen. I found it compelling to be a …show more content…
New forms of anti-coup messages keep showing up in Facebook’s feed. Many of them do not explicitly speak against the junta, but subtly convey messages in a very creative way. For example, the ‘Let’s Change Background for Our Leader’ Facebook page persuades netizens to photoshop background for the coup leader’s Talk Show by executing Thai popular culture such as middle-class’s Hipster subculture. The result was thought-provoking and popular internet memes which also satire Thai society at the same time. Therefore, I am determined to apply for the MSc in Social Science of the Internet at OII as it is the only institution in the world which offering subjects like Internet Architecture, Social dynamics of the Internet, and Digital Era Government. I am passionate to integrate the knowledge that I will obtain from these subjects to undertake the research on the social implications of the internet under the context of Post-Coup Thailand in the digital