The aesthetic performance of "Phleng Choi" in the Digital Era through the show "Khun Phra Chuay"

Abstract

            Aesthetic appreciation in the arts evolves continuously alongside the dynamics of society. "Phleng Choi", a form of traditional Thai folk performance, has undergone adaptation to align with the context of contemporary media, especially through the popular television segment “Choi Na Man” from the program Khun Phra Chuay, which has gained considerable viewership in the digital age. This academic article aims to explore the aesthetics of Phleng Choi performance in the digital era by analyzing video clips of “Choi Na Man” broadcasted on YouTube between 2022 and 2024. The analysis focuses on eight key theatrical components: script, performer, performance style, sound and music, props, costume, performance setting, and lighting.

            The findings indicate two key dimensions in the aesthetic transformation of Phleng Choi in the digital era: (1) The transformation of folk culture into a cultural commodity that conforms to the logic of media reproduction within the contemporary consumer market, and (2) The shifting of production power that reflects middle-class ideology through content hybridization in the context of globalization. These changes have significantly affected both performance styles and audience perception of aesthetic value. Consequently, Phleng Choi in this new context transcends the notion of cultural preservation, emerging instead as a process of cultural reinvention for the contemporary era.