Social Media and the Transformation of the Controversial Thai Child Angel Dolls
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Abstract
This paper examines and discusses the cultural and popular phenomenon of Luuk Thep or child angel dolls in Thailand. The fascination with these dolls, considered supernatural by many Thai people, generated controversy. It captured national attention between 2015 and 2017, with local superstitions and beliefs contributing significantly to the interest in the angel dolls. However, it was social media that stimulated the taste and intensified the desire for Luuk Thep to a frenzy in a brief period of a few months. This study covers a short history of how the craze developed. It also offers analyses with reference to relevant literature on the subject and demonstrates the role of social media in transforming the esoteric obsession with the dolls into a nation-wide preoccupation. A study is made of the power and influence of social media and its dynamic function in promoting the child angel dolls in the popular culture and imagination of contemporary Thai society.
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