Change.org: Fake Motosai spokesperson angers netizens

Motorcycle taxi Isan-speaking world traveller in ad for Bangkok "knowledge center" was fake. Petition signers want to unsign petition.

COMMENTARY: TRUTH IN ADVERTISING

Change.org: Fake Motosai spokesperson angers netizens

23/06/2017
Sirinya Wattanasukchai

Recently, a petition appeared on Change.org calling for Bangkok to have a new national knowledge centre.

After generating some initial enthusiasm, netizens began to question whether the campaign was actually lying to people in its advertisements.

What at first seemed to be an earnest and truthful campaign has ended up putting the spotlight on truth in advertising and the ethics of social media campaigns targeting Thai netizens.

FAKE ADVERTISEMENT: SPOTLIGHT ON TRUTH IN ADVERTISING 

It all started after a six-minute video clip of an ostensible everyman (ordinary guy) went viral.

The man, calling himself Meena Chotekham, told a few hipster looking types why Thais deserve a new learning centre in the city, and not another condo, hotel or shopping mall.

Meena wrapped up the clip by encouraging people to sign up for his campaign.

Meena, seemingly, was no ordinary figure.

ISAN-SPEAKING MOTORCYCLE TAXI-DRIVING WORLD TRAVELER: ACTUALLY FAKE

Meena was a motorcycle taxi driver speaking the northeastern Isan dialect of the Thai language.

He'd also travelled extensively abroad (world traveler).

He had been exposed to creative projects encouraging people to develop their true potential from the Netherlands to Japan.

Some people immediately signed the petition.

They agreed with Meena's view that citizens of the Big Mango deserve more than just three learning centres -- the TCDC, Museum Siam and TK Park -- amid the sea of commercial high rises.

WAS THE SPOKESPERSON REAL? OR CREATED TO MANIPULATE US?

And from social media to my own social circle, questions persisted.

Who was that unusual motorcycle taxi driver? Was he the real McCoy?

MYSTERIOUS MOTORCYCLE MAN WAS FAKE, CREATED BY AD AGENCY AS MARKETING PLOY

To the disappointment of many, the petition ended up being a marketing campaign with the mysterious hero meticulously dreamt up by an ad agency.

The whole thing was commissioned by the Office of Knowledge Management and Development (OKMD).

Needless to say, OKMD will secure a new project if the petition proves to be successful.

SAID NOT MEANT TO TRICK AUDIENCES, BUT CLEARLY DID

The producer said the clip wasn't meant to trick audiences, claiming it was clear the video is fictitious.

Many, including some of my friends, have since expressed a desire to withdraw their signature from the petition, which has already attracted 170,000 signatures.

For them, it appears to be an issue of transparency, and not the goal of the campaign itself, that have soured their view on the project.

BROKE CHANGE.ORG RULE: DON'T IMPERSONATE OTHERS

One of the main don'ts of Change.org is: "Don't impersonate others -- Change.org is designed to share the stories of real people, supporting real issues".

But the ad agency, whether they didn't read the rules or merely disregarded the rules, deliberately decided to use Meena, the perfect character but who was not a real person, to launch the campaign.

BUILD KNOWLEDGE CENTER IN ISAN, DON'T JUST TRICK PEOPLE

The call for the knowledge centre reflects a real need, but was it right for the OKMD to trick people into backing it?

And if the OKMD really wants to stay active, wouldn't it be better if it opened libraries and museums upcountry (that is in the provinces in regions such as Isan where the motorcycle driver in the ad came from), rather than cooking up a new project in Bangkok?

OKMD SHOULD MAKE TRANSPARENCY A PRIORITY

The OKMD already owes society an explanation on why it allowed organisations launched under its umbrella -- TCDC, Museum Siam and TK Park -- to independently manage themselves five years ago?

Is it because the OKMD has been the target of budget cuts by the central government?

A news report earlier this week said the body has been ordered to slash its budget by 20%.

A fortnight on, we have heard explanations from the online petition platform and ad agency on the saga of Meena, but not a single word from the OKMD -- the mastermind of the project.

WILL FUTURE BATTLES OVER SOCIAL CHANGE IN THAILAND BE FOUGHT AT CHANGE.ORG? 

Begging the question: Will we soon see a petition to build a nuclear power plant in Thailand concocted by some electric power firm seeking to illuminate our country in a more literal way?

Change.org admitted it's possible that such a campaign could take place.

Being an open platform, any campaign is conceivable as long as it strictly follows the do's and avoid the don'ts.

In the absence of impersonators and hate speech, the possibilities are endless.

As it stands, anyone wishing to see change in the country can use the platform to galvanise the masses behind their cause.

But, in the case of atomic energy, for example, it's also possible for anti - nuclear groups to launch a counter- petition.

It will be interesting if we one day find ourselves being mobilised against each other on opposing sides of online campaigns...

This would be very reminiscent of Bangkok's eight years of street protests (2006-2014). Would it be any better?

Sirinya Wattanasukchai is an assistant news editor, the Bangkok Post.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1274015/change-you-can-believe-in-or-pie-in-sky-

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