Social media tones down in memory of King Rama IX
With just a few weeks to go before the Royal funeral of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, many Thai users of social networks, particularly Facebook, have converted their profile photos to black and white in honour of their beloved King, who passed away on October 13 last year at the age of 89.
Some users have replaced their profile and cover pictures with ones that look more serious or sombre to express their sorrow. They have done this en masse, not because of any order from above but because it is a way to express their sadness.
Some users have gone further, displaying just a black background on their Facebook profiles, without photos. Others have attached a black ribbon to their profile photo, as a symbol of one of the saddest periods in Thai history.
Popular FB pages which have great numbers of followers also participated in this occasion. Videos and photos of the King were posted and shared, replacing the hot discussions and funny videos.
The changes have been made not just by private citizens but by government authorities and private companies, many of whom have converted their websites and Facebook pages to black and white. Others have posted photos of the late King engaged in activities throughout the country.
Thai social network users have also toned down their posts and comments, avoiding heated topics and colourful language during this period.
