The role of amulet magazines in promoting buddhist commercialism in Thai society

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the role of amulet magazines in promoting Buddhist commercialism in Thai society. The amulet magazines in Thailand can be classified into two types, 1) Knowledge type (Knowledge-based) magazine, and 2) Catalog type magazine. The researcher analyzed the format and content of these amulet magazines of today's market as the sample of analysis in terms of Buddhist Commercialism and superstitions. The concept used in the analysis is Media Literacy analysis, especially used A) All media are construction; B) The media construct reality; D) Media have commercial implications; and E) Media contain ideological and value messages; of eight key concepts of Media Literacy. Media literacy analysis with these concepts showed us that the role of the amulet magazines is to try to shape readers' thinking about amulets, and reinforce those ideas by constructing their own world view, in which "Amulets have sacred power and can facilitate miracles." (i.e., all media are construction, the media construct reality.), and emphasizing the sacred power of the amulets (i.e., media contain ideological and value messages.) in their components, in order to effectively sell amulets (i.e., media have commercial implications). The amulet magazines which have been established since 1987 have played a very significant role in establishing amulet business in Thailand and at the same time enlarging its market and the circle of consumers from the local level to the national level, because the absolute quantity of the amulet magazine has been dramatically increasing since 1987.