An Analysis of Ideologies Presented in Thai Short Moral Dramas on TikTok

Abstract

This study aimed to (1) examine the recurring plot patterns of Thai short-form moral dramas on TikTok and (2) analyze the ideologies represented in these dramas. The study employed textual analysis. The sample consisted of 20 Thai short-form moral dramas selected from four popular TikTok channels, each with at least three million followers. The selected videos were at least two minutes in length, had been published for at least three months, and had received no fewer than 5,000 likes. The narrative structures were analyzed using Gustav Freytag’s narrative model, while the ideologies were analyzed using Louis Althusser’s concept of ideology as an analytical framework.

The findings revealed four recurring plot patterns: (1) revealing one’s identity to seek revenge, (2) revealing one’s identity to change others’ perceptions, (3) shifting from materialistic values to emotional and moral values, and (4) making sacrifices to demonstrate moral virtue. The dominant ideologies identified in the dramas included feudalism, capitalism, patriarchy, authoritarianism, consumerism, and money-oriented ideology. Alternative and oppositional ideologies that questioned these dominant ideologies were also found. However, although the dramas provided space for alternative and oppositional ideologies to emerge, the conclusions of most narratives resolved conflicts by reaffirming dominant ideologies as means of conflict resolution. This suggests that Thai moral dramas on TikTok continue to contribute to the reproduction of dominant social ideologies.