Tech generation gap

A study of the relationship between people and technology reveals a split in Thailand between those who believe tech companies clearly make a positive contribution to society and those who hold neutral or negative opinions of technology, according to the Asean communications agency Vero.

The findings arrive at a moment when Thailand’s digital economy is expanding faster than regional averages. Mobile commerce, food delivery, and streaming have become routine for urban consumers, and the infrastructure supporting those services has drawn investment from both domestic telecoms and international platforms. For marketing teams across Southeast Asia, the data offers a useful benchmark for understanding where brand trust sits relative to broader tech sentiment.

The survey work builds on a pattern of regional polling that has tracked digital adoption alongside consumer confidence. Earlier rounds focused on social media use and e-commerce penetration, but this wave widened the frame to include general attitudes toward the tech sector’s role in daily life. The neutral bloc, at 44%, drew particular attention from analysts who noted that indifference can shift in either direction depending on how companies handle data privacy and content moderation over the next few years.

Among the respondents who expressed positive sentiment, a recurring theme was convenience. Several described their phones as the default entry point for almost everything, from price comparisons on household goods to weekend plans. One marketing strategist working with a Bangkok-based agency mentioned that her own team had started cataloguing the range of searches their focus-group participants reported running in a typical week. The lists were broad: pharmacy discount alerts, short-stay apartment reviews, flight deals for weekend trips, rankings of best online slot sites, and resale pricing on limited sneaker drops. For her team, the diversity of search behavior underscored how deeply integrated mobile access had become across leisure, commerce, and daily logistics.

That breadth of usage is part of what makes the neutral-to-positive split meaningful for brands operating in the region. A consumer base that defaults to mobile for nearly every category of decision is one where trust in the underlying platforms shapes purchasing patterns, content consumption, and even regulatory expectations. Future survey rounds may track whether the positive cohort grows as infrastructure improves or whether privacy concerns push more respondents toward neutrality.

In a survey organised by Vero and the global market research firm YouGov, 50% of respondents in Thailand indicated that they believe technology has a more positive impact on society, 44% reported neutral sentiment, and 6% believe technology makes more of a negative impact.