SI-015-07:
Digital Platform, Media &
Creator Economy Expansion

Situation
The global soft power landscape is increasingly dominated by digital platforms, media ecosystems, and creator-driven content. Platforms such as streaming services, social media, and short-form video have become the primary channels through which culture is consumed, shared, and amplified.

Thailand has a rapidly growing base of digital users and content creators, but the ecosystem remains fragmented, platform-dependent, and limited in monetization capability. Most creators rely on foreign-owned platforms, resulting in limited control over algorithms, audience reach, and revenue streams.

Additionally, there is no integrated national strategy to support the creator economy, scale digital content, or align platform dynamics with national soft power objectives. This creates a gap between content creation and sustainable economic and strategic value capture.

Shift
Thailand must transition from being a content participant within global platforms to becoming a strategic orchestrator of digital ecosystems and creator economies.

This involves building a system that supports creators, leverages platforms effectively, and gradually develops greater control over distribution, data, and monetization.

The focus shifts from passive platform usage to active ecosystem building, from individual creators to networked creator economies, and from short-term virality to long-term influence and value generation.

Digital platforms become not just channels, but strategic infrastructure for national soft power expansion.

Advantage
Thailand has a strong digital adoption rate, a vibrant youth population, and a growing number of creative digital talents.

Thai content—particularly in lifestyle, food, travel, and entertainment—is highly shareable and performs well on digital platforms. The country’s cultural richness provides a constant source of content that resonates globally.

Additionally, Thailand’s position within Asia enables it to tap into regional digital ecosystems, collaborations, and audience networks.

Additional Structural Advantage
Thailand can build a digital soft power ecosystem by leveraging:

• integration of creators, platforms, media companies, and brands into a unified system

• development of national or regional digital platforms and distribution channels

• use of data analytics and AI to optimize content performance and audience targeting

• integration with SPOS to coordinate strategy, measure impact, and align stakeholders

Furthermore, enabling monetization pathways—advertising, subscriptions, e-commerce, IP licensing—ensures that creators and industries can sustain long-term growth.

The ecosystem can be designed to continuously generate, amplify, and scale content across multiple platforms and markets.

Implication
Without a structured digital ecosystem, Thailand’s soft power will remain dependent on external platforms, limited in scalability, and constrained in value capture.

This leads to missed opportunities in the global attention economy and reduces the country’s ability to influence narratives and trends.

Conversely, a well-developed digital and creator ecosystem enables Thailand to scale its cultural influence exponentially, reaching global audiences in real time.

It transforms content into a continuous stream of influence and economic value, strengthening both national branding and global competitiveness.

Control over digital amplification becomes a key determinant of soft power effectiveness in
the modern era.

Action Layer