The Construction of Meaning of Working-Age Rural-to-Urban Labor Migration in Popular Thai Music Videos
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Abstract
This article analyzes the construction of meaning and social construction of rural-to-urban laborers migration in popular Thai music videos. Using content analysis, the study examined six music videos released between 2015 and 2025, each surpassing 10 million YouTube views, reflecting their significant cultural influence.
The findings reveal four key dimensions in the construction of migration meaning: 1) the discourse of filial piety that transforms economic pressure into a moral obligation; 2) a spatial binary portraying the city as alienating and the rural hometown as a space of emotional healing; 3) ideological hegemony that glorifies individual perseverance and reinforces acceptance of capitalist structures; and 4) symbolic codes, such as digital devices and sentimental objects, that maintain family connections across geographical distances. Regarding social construction, the study identifies three dimensions: capitalism, inequality, and social ideology. Migrant labor is depicted as precarious yet emotionally valorized, reproducing narratives of sacrifice that frame workers as “family heroes.” This ultimately legitimizes class consciousness, allowing existing social hierarchies to persist in contemporary Thai society. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the construction of a “virtual translocal space” structural inequality and obscures capturing the dynamic relationship between rural.
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