The Functions of Thai Folk Songs in the Central Region as Folk Media in the Corona Virus Situation

Abstract

The objectives of this research article were to: 1) study the communication system components of folk media present in the coronavirus situation, and 2) examine the functions of folk media in the coronavirus situation. The scope of the study was based on the Facebook fanpage of the Central Folk Music Association of Thailand during the period from 20 March to 20 April 2020, with a total of 19 songs. The types of central folk music were Choi, Lamtat, Li-ke, E-saew, Rampha-khawsan, and Beggar songs.

             The study revealed that: First, the components of the folk communication system consisted of senders, messages, channels and receiver, whereas “message” was the most important thing in this situation. There were 6 preventive methods for self-defense from viruses: wearing a mask, washing hands with soap, alcohol gel and alcohol spray, avoiding crowded areas and avoiding socializing, eating cooked food, stopping at home or working from home instead of working outside the home, and providing information about the illness if the virus was expected. Second, there were 4 functions of the central regional media: the function of education from the government to the public, the function of voice of the stakeholders, the function of social recording, and the function in entertainment. The most common function of duty was the government-to-public education so that all recipients could access to information on the practice in the coronavirus situation.