Commodification of Hindu deities, faith, and belief on Thai digital platforms

Information from the abstract

This article examines the commodification of Hindu deities, faith, and belief on Thai digital platforms through the lens of Mutelu, a contemporary Thai syncretic spiritual phenomenon that blends Theravāda Buddhist merit-making, Hindu deity devotion, astrology, and local spirit beliefs. In recent years, Mutelu has expanded into a dynamic digital marketplace in which sacred symbols, ritual services, and devotional objects are circulated, personalized, and commercialized, particularly via social media. Drawing on qualitative netnography and desk-based research, the study analyzes content from 300 Facebook pages collected between June and July 2025, supplemented by one major e-commerce platform for triangulation of product types and pricing practices. The findings reveal a diverse ecosystem of commodified spiritual content, including consecrated Hindu deity images, amulets, ritual services performed on behalf of devotees, imported ritual objects from India, devotional sweets and offerings, smartphone wallpapers framed as “digital amulets,” deity-themed cards, and curated knowledge about worship practices and sacred sites. Hindu deities are signified within Thai cultural aesthetics and consumer logics, emphasizing accessibility, personalization, and practical benefits such as prosperity, protection, love, and success. The analysis demonstrates that digital platforms—especially Facebook—function simultaneously as marketplaces, ritual spaces, and sites of religious knowledge production, enabling new forms of spiritual entrepreneurship while reshaping traditional notions of sacredness and authority. Interpreted through the frameworks of hybrid cultures and the commercialization of the sacred, the study argues that the Thai appropriation of Hindu deities illustrates how global religious symbols are localized, aestheticized, and mobilized within a market-oriented digital environment. While raising ethical concerns regarding authenticity, inequality, and the dilution of sacred meaning, the commodification of Mutelu spirituality also contributes to cultural innovation, economic participation, and Thailand’s broader soft power strategy, with particular implications for Thailand–India cultural relations

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Related topics: Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies