Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd ORCA
Online Research @ Cardiff 
WelshClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings

Mobile phone culture in Bangkok: the expression of modernity and cultural changes.

Bunnag, Chuensumon 2006. Mobile phone culture in Bangkok: the expression of modernity and cultural changes. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.

[thumbnail of U584175.pdf] PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version
Download (40MB)

Abstract

This thesis examines the mobile phone culture in Bangkok, Thailand, and the way mobile phone can be seen to represent an expression of modernity and cultural changes among Thai middle class teenagers at large. The idea of modernity has been explored in terms of Tween and Teen subcultures' incorporation of mobile phones to form and create their cultural identities as cool and modern in different social settings, such as homes, schools and department stores. The material data probes these social interactions in relation to the demographic and psychographic backgrounds of Thai teenagers, who employ cool brands to display their cool selves by using the generations of mobile phones technology to enhance their communicative patterns, blurring the boundaries of public and private spaces. The symbolic meanings of mobile phones i.e. necessity-luxury and fashion as symbols of modernity bring about social and cultural changes, as well as consumerism and leisure activities which can be showed as habitus. It further considered Thai teenagers' social relations alongside advertising representations elaborated issues of modernity to show to their consumption patterns and cultural identities. My ethnographic data suggests that the distinction Tween (9-14 years old) and Teen (15-18 years old) subcultures, and the university students use mobile phones as symbols of modernity to create their identities are relevant to fashion and social emulation among family and peer in terms of purchases, opinions, and activities. Thai teenagers perceived mobile phones as new of intimacy rather than merely as tools of connectivity, indicating social status and serving as means of seeking pleasure. New identities in terms of Gig and Deck Neaw subculture are elaborated to show how global interacts with local through their subcultures in ways that they incorporate fashionable mobile phones to form their new identities and deviant behaviours as resistance to traditional norm in Thai society.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Status: Unpublished
Schools: Journalism, Media and Culture
Subjects: D History General and Old World > DS Asia
H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
T Technology > T Technology (General)
ISBN: 9781303181795
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 30 March 2016
Last Modified: 09 Jan 2018 22:21
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/55656

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item Edit Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics