Social media voices reflect despair as oil crisis drives up living costs

The global crude oil crisis in 2026, triggered by the Middle East conflict, is entering an increasingly tense phase, with social media becoming the main space for reflecting public hardship and calls for help over soaring living costs.

Wisesight (Thailand) collected related data through its Zocial Eye tool between March 1 and 19, and found that discussion of the crisis across social media had generated as many as 103.55 million engagements from 314,168 messages.

Facebook remained the main platform for receiving and exchanging information about the oil price situation, with as many as 190,281 messages, or 65.46% of the total, generating around 36 million engagements. This reflects Facebook’s continued role as the principal space used by news outlets and relevant agencies to distribute information.

YouTube came second, with around 34,795 messages, or 12.34%, generating more than 4 million engagements. Most of the content took the form of video analysis and in-depth news reports.

TikTok ranked third, with 16,235 messages, or 5.79%, but generated the highest engagement of all at 50 million. The figure underlines TikTok’s strong effectiveness in amplifying interest in the current expensive oil crisis.

Five main issues attracting public attention

Issue 1: Explosions in the Middle East and unrelenting tensions (29.89 million engagements)

The starting point of the entire crisis was the intensifying war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, particularly reports of an attack on Kharg Island, Iran’s oil export hub, and attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz. Rumours and images of violence abroad quickly spread panic among Thai people.

Keywords such as “prolonged”, which drew 2.93 million engagements, and “tense”, with 1.68 million, show that the public does not view this war as merely distant foreign news, but as a crisis eroding morale and confidence in daily life. 

On TikTok and Facebook, users discussed the possibility of a “world war” spiralling outwards and becoming difficult to control, heightening accumulated fears over the impact on Thailand’s economy.

That economic uncertainty then ignited concern over a potential fuel shortage, turning it into a major issue of public interest. This led to scenes of people queuing overnight at petrol stations in many provinces. 

Images of cars, pickup trucks and villagers carrying jerry cans to wait in line reflected fears that “the country will run out of fuel”. Some filling stations were unable to cope, putting up metal barriers and large signs reading “out of fuel” within hours, creating scenes of chaos rarely seen in Thailand.

Issue 2: Anxiety over fuel shortages (20.72 million engagements)

Between March 14 and 17, discussion of “fuel shortages” rose sharply, generating more than 9 million engagements from 25,285 messages. This also led to the rise of the hashtags #น้ำมันขาด and #น้ำมันหมด, which together generated more than 5 million engagements from 10,455 messages, showing that public anxiety during that period intensified significantly.

Another keyword that drew strong attention was #ปั๊ม (petrol station), as images circulated showing some service stations temporarily running out of fuel.

Although the government insisted that Thailand had enough oil reserves for 96 to 100 days of use and urged the public not to panic or hoard fuel, conversations on social media reflected the opposite picture. Many questioned whether the reserves would actually be released for use or instead held back for speculation.

The figure of 20 million engagements therefore reflects not only the scale of public awareness, but also a gap in trust between official communication and what people are facing in real life. It has become one of the key factors driving calls for further relief measures.

Issue 3: Public voices of despair (10.76 million engagements)

More than 10.7 million engagements reflected public despair through widely used keywords and hashtags such as #เครียด (stress), #ท้อ (discouragement) and #เดือดร้อน (hardship). 

The most shared and commented-on issue in this category was the comparison between “oil prices rising with the war situation” and “income staying the same”. This points to what can be described as a “visibility crisis” — a situation in which Thai people can no longer see a way out of the cost-of-living crisis.

This was particularly evident among transport workers and delivery riders, whose profits are being eroded by soaring fuel costs despite stagnant incomes. That frustration has sparked laments about returning vehicles and leaving their jobs, expressed through hashtags such as #สู้ไม่ไหว (can no longer cope) and #จอดตาย (forced to stop working).

Most of these voices came from real users expressing deep economic exhaustion. They were not simply complaining about petrol prices, but calling for “hope” and for measures to help them get through a time when expenses have far outpaced income.

Issue 4: Calls for the government to cap oil prices (4.57 million engagements)

More than 4.5 million engagements centred on demands for the government to urgently introduce measures to stabilise oil prices. 

This reflected growing scepticism over the state’s short-term response, particularly the viral question: “If prices are frozen for 15 days, what happens on day 16?” The phrase became a widely shared challenge to the sustainability of the government’s solution.

Most people mentioned the Energy Ministry alongside calls for a concrete cut in excise tax. Meanwhile, groups in the transport and agricultural sectors strongly pushed the issue of B20 fuel as a way to reduce production costs. 

Much of the reaction went beyond fuel prices alone and expanded into broader questions about transparency in government budget management during the economic crisis.

Issue 5: Alternative energy — a way out or just a dream? (1.51 million engagements)

As global oil prices continued to rise, more than 1.5 million engagements shifted towards “alternative energy” as a possible long-term answer. The discussion split clearly into two directions. One group seriously considered moving to electric vehicles in order to break free from the cycle of expensive oil.

The other side, however, reflected a strong awareness of the limitations, especially the high cost of vehicles, which remains out of reach for low-income earners. There was also growing discussion of solar power and the wider adoption of energy-saving technology in homes.

The data shows that people no longer view alternative energy solely through an environmental lens. They are increasingly focusing on its potential to reduce household energy expenses over the long term, while also calling on the government to support access to such technologies in a more practical and inclusive way.

In addition, the Cabinet’s announcement of a full work-from-home policy for government agencies drew strong attention. It was widely discussed through keywords such as #ค่าเดินทางพุ่ง (rising travel costs), #ประหยัดพลังงาน (saving energy), #WFHเพื่อชาติ (work from home for the nation) and #ค่าน้ำมันแพงกว่าค่าข้าว (fuel costs more than a meal).

These reflected how people are comparing daily travel costs with their incomes and the reality they are now facing, while calling for both public and private organisations to bring back 100% work-from-home policies as a way to ease employees’ financial burden without relying solely on state support.