Concept of 'Hipster' in contemporary Thai Society

A Critical Reflection from Adorno's Cultural Industry

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the concept of “Hipster” in contemporary Thai society. It, mainly, suggests that Thai consumer products, and services have been adapting concept of hipster in order to increase sales. It can be argued that this phenomenon is explicable in term of culture industry coined by Theodore Adorno.

Hipster in late twentieth century tried to find authentic life value. Its characteristics involve; trying to break out of social framework, express the identity that might be mass culture rebel. On the other hand, concept of Hipster in contemporary Thai society does not share the same characteristics mentioned. Concept of Thai hipster, arguably, exists only because of increasing sales in capitalism. Thai hipster prefer to, individually, distinct themselves from mass culture. Thai hipster is blinded from capitalist profitability. In contemporary Thai society, the concept of hipster has been transformed into culture industry by capitalism.