A Study of Key Communicators in Urban Thailand

Who are the key communicators in urban Thailand? This study identifies them on the basis of 363 interviews in four major cities by education, age and occupation. In decreasing order, key communicators were monks, professionals, military men, government officials, teachers and merchants. Out of a list of characteristics of key communicators the most critical ones were education, heavy exposure to the mass media (especially the printed media), and responsible roles in word-of-mouth communication. The Thai findings were compared with studies of other societies, and major communalities that characterized activists in the communication network were identified.