Sexual conduct in Noom Kala’s media landscape: analyzing the depiction of masculine and feminine archetypes through online headlines

Abstract

The research article aims to investigate the linguistic aspects of online headlines regarding a case involving Mr. Noom Kala, a Thai artist, cheating on his wife, with a focus on gender representation. Data were collected from online headlines of five news agencies with over 15,000 followers. A total of 108 online headlines were analyzed to identify language strategies reflecting gender representation between males and females, specifically in terms of vocabulary selection and pragmatics. The study revealed distinct language strategies employed in online headlines concerning the case of Noom Kala cheating on his wife. These strategies delineate gender representation, with men depicted as assuming leadership roles in accepting actions and acknowledging wrongdoing. Consequently, women are portrayed as being susceptible to emotions, actions, and thoughts, thus projecting an image of fragility. Nevertheless, the study suggests that women possess inherent power in expressing emotions, feelings, and thoughts, thereby leveraging these attributes to assert their rights and freedoms

Keywords

• Online news headlines
• language strategies
• representation of men and women
• gender
• sexual behavior
• Thai artist