The Clubhouse Challenge To Digital Authoritarianism in Thailand

By Wichuta Teeratanabodee

Disputes between the Thai authorities and anti-authoritarian movements are moving from the streets to the online world. Thai protestors are using creative memes and hashtags to spread their agenda. In the past few weeks, a new app Clubhouse has quickly become another venue through which protestors are calling for democracy. This development is yet another challenge to the Thai government’s digital authoritarianism, a developing trend since the 2014 coup.

Launched in 2020, Clubhouse is an audio-based social media platform which allows users to create groups and share stories. Each member can schedule and host a virtual room, and then decide who can speak.

Clubhouse was initially used among people in the fields of technology, finance, and entrepreneurship. It quickly gained popularity within politics as many prominent political figures started using the app,…