From the Cold War to the Digital Age: The Evolution of State Propaganda in Thailand

This article traces a historical pathway from the Thai government’s historic propaganda practices to its use of contemporary digital disinformation. Using the framework of critical juncture, it examines how perceived threats to the established order have driven reliance on propaganda against political opponents, the institutional entities responsible for orchestrating state propaganda, and the legal framework underpinning their operations. The paper analyzes the emergence of anti-opposition narratives and propaganda mechanisms during the Cold War, the modification and codification of propaganda as state policy in the 2010s, and a subsequent fusion of former propaganda infrastructure and new digital tactics. By foregrounding contemporary disinformation within an autocratic legacy, the article argues that Cold War–era practices continue to shape the institutional and legal capacities of Thailand’s propaganda agencies, even as platforms’ algorithmic designs diversify manipulation tactics and expand the range of actors involved, reflecting both continuity in and transformation of state propaganda practices.