The Impact of Using Social Media to Communicate Political Party Policies on Election Decision-making The Impact of Using Social Media to Communicate Political Party Policies on Election Decision-making

Abstract

          As Thailand entered the 21st century, social media platforms have become vital tools for political parties to use in election campaigns, both for candidates and the parties themselves. These platforms, such as Facebook, Line, Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok, offer easy access, cost-effectiveness, convenience, and speed. They enable the presentation of messages, images, videos, and graphics, effectively creating awareness and understanding. Moreover, they expand public spaces for commenting, increasing citizen engagement in politics. This has given rise to a culture of digital politics, leading to heightened online political competition through social media. In essence, political parties that communicate their policies via social media in a modern, interesting manner that aligns with the target audience’s needs can attract more public interest and followers. This increases their chances of being elected. A notable example is the marketing communication strategies of the Future Forward Party, which aimed to shape young people's attitudes towards politics in a new, modern perspective. They focused on branding, maintaining commitments (Brand Commitment), creating unique party features (Brand Differentiation), clear target segmentation, key messaging aligned with the audience’s needs, and events that foster strong connections between the party and the public. This approach led to viral popularity, widespread sharing of information, and a well-defined personal brand of the party leader, which contributed to the party's success and public support.