Why do online conflicts between Cambodian and Thai internet users spiral so quickly from humor to hate?
Based on more than a hundred in-depth conversations across both countries, Between Likes and Loathing uncovers the emotional and cultural undercurrents driving one of Southeast Asia’s most persistent digital rivalries. Drawing on action research using Facilitative Listening Design (FLD), the study reveals how history,culture, nationalism, and social media collide to shape how young people see each other and themselves.
The findings expose complex patterns of pride and pain: Cambodians’ frustration at feeling mocked and inferior, Thai participants’ disinterest tempered by a sense of hierarchy, humor as both weapon and wound, and the emotional toll of living within constant online tension. They also point to education, media literacy, and cross-border dialogue as crucial pathways to rebuild understanding amid digital hostility.
Conducted in 2024, before the armed clashes and renewed border tensions of 2025, this research offers rare and timely insight into the attitudes and emotions that shape evolving relations between everyday people in the two nations.
Between Likes and Loathing invites readers to look beyond the comment threads to the people and histories behind them.
Read online here: Between Likes and Loathing
