POLITICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN THAI POLITICAL HISTORY SINCE 1932-2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/nrru-rdi.2020.68Keywords:
Political photograph, Thai government and politics history, Political communication theoryAbstract
This study had three objectives: 1) To understand the role of the photograph and photographers as the intermediaries between political organizations and people; 2) To understand the political communication process that uses mainly the photograph as a communication tool; and 3) To examine the political influences that derive from the photographs to the people. The researcher applied a qualitative method by studying secondary data, such as photographs and related online and offline documents. The researcher then analyzed the relationship between political photographs and the history of government and politics in Thailand from 1932 until 2019 in order to describe and discuss the results according to the theoretical framework of political communication, semiotics and the power of visual communication.
The results of the study revealed that: 1) A photograph creates influences on social and political contexts that lead to purposive communication and manifestation to the people. However, Thai News photographers, in their creator role, received much lower credibility when compared to foreign photographers; 2) The political communication process used by elites and political organizations in Thailand is based on Brian McNair's political communication model with specific purposes that are driven by government and politics in Thailand at that time; and 3) The political power from photography affects political socialization described by the principles of semiotics. It is developed from decoding the deeper meaning that simulates the individual and group values in addition to being perceived as an icon in the photographs.
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