Policy Rhetoric of Digital in Electoral Campaigns, 2011–2023: An Analysis of Dynamics, Inequality Implications, and Public Policy Advocacy

Abstract

This study examines the discourse of “Digital inequality” in Thai society, analyzing its strategic use by political parties in election campaigns and in shaping public policy from 2011 to the present. As part of a doctoral dissertation in Politics and Development Strategy, the research employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on political party policy documents, campaign speeches, media reports, and related academic works. The analysis is conducted through Norman Fairclough’s framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to explore structural transformations and the political meanings of access to technology. Findings reveal that the discourse of digital inequality has evolved across three key political contexts: (1) Pre-coup period (2011–2013): political parties promoted technology as a means of equality, exemplified by the “One Tablet per Child” policy, while the media served as an arena of ideological debate; (2) Military regime (2014–2019): the discourse was framed in a patronage-oriented manner, with the state providing infrastructure such as the “Net Pracharat” project, alongside restrictions on independent media; and (3) Post-coup period (2019– present): the discourse shifted toward digital rights, with emerging parties such as Move Forward advocating “the internet as a human right” in opposition to state centralization. The research highlights that the media function both as a reproducer of state discourse and as a platform for contesting digital inequality. This demonstrates that political communication in the digital era operates not merely as information transmission but as a process of structuring power through language and symbols.