5. The chilling effect on audience engagement Military repression has not only led to a decline in media audiences but also changed how audiences respond to the content, including by shifting toward safer forms of engagement to avoid detection. This section analyses how audience engagement has changed since the coup, balancing support for objective reporting against the threat of military surveillance. 5.1. Increased appreciation of the media The “Like” function on Facebook has evolved from a Likes across the sample simple social interaction into a rising tool for public media posts have solidarity and support for the media. While audience reach has declined, likes across the sample media increased by +52%. posts have increased by +52%. This growth does not represent natural changes in audience behaviour, as it is almost exclusively directed toward independent media.7 It shows that the public’s appetite to exercise the right to seek and recognise credible information remains resilient, even as access is restricted. Before the coup, military-aligned entertainment-focused television channels received the most engagement. By 2026, independent media saw a +126% increase in likes, indicating a public shift toward current affairs content. Similarly, the “viewto-like” conversion rate for independent media tripled from 0.58% to 1.70%.8 Specific examples of this growth include DVB, which increased from 2.2 million to 5.6 million likes per month (+149%), Mekong News, which grew +653%, and Kachin News Group, which increased +452%. In contrast, military-aligned media saw likes decline by an average of -32%. Channel 9 and Eleven saw likes drop by -98% and 91%, respectively. This indicates that the public is showing appreciation for independent journalism and refusing to be coerced by military-aligned narratives. 7 8 Natural changes in audience behaviour would affect all media outlets similarly. The view-to-like conversion rate shows what proportion of views led to a like. Page 14 of 24