Multimodal Discourse Analysis on the Ideology and Identity of a Collectivist Society in the Thai TV Series Laa and Bangrak Soi 9/1

Abstract

This study investigates the ideology and identity of a collectivist society embedded in Thai online TV series through the analysis of verbal and non-verbal language. The data includes the conversations among the main family members, that is parents and children, and the screenshots of the scenes collected from two Thai TV series on the Line TV channel: Laa and Bangrak Soi 9/1. The conversations are analyzed, based on multimodal discourse analysis, to explore the ideology and identity of collectivism in Thai society. For the screenshot analysis, the visual language and signs are examined to understand the meaningful elements which convey the ideology and identity of a collectivist society, by employing Kress and van Leeuwen’s visual grammar and Peirce’s semiotics. In the analysis, the data emphasizes that Thai society can be considered a collectivist society since the main characters of the series appear to live in groups. From both series, it can be concluded that Thai people, living in a collectivist society, give priority to relationships. They maintain close relationships among the in-group members, especially among family members. They also live with in-group members, or in communities, in order to help and encourage one another as well as share goals, values, and needs among in-group members. In the series, the family members care for and love the other members. They willingly help one another to solve problems. They also place emphasis on the reliability in the family and the security of the family members by primarily giving importance to a non-confrontational attitude. This means that when they have a conflict, they attempt to end it as fast as possible to maintain good family relationships. Moreover, in a collectivist society, parents have significant roles as a teacher and as protectors in taking care of and teaching their children the norms, practices, and manners of the society. The parents, in both series, help plan their children’s lives and give good advice as good consultants. Similarly, children can consult their parents when they need suggestions for matters in their lives. Especially in the series Bangrak Soi 9/1, children are expected to be obedient to their parents.