Gen Z – those aged between 12 and 27 –  show the most interest in “Mutelu” or belief-related topics on social media compared to other generations, a survey by Zanroo, a social media data expert, has revealed.

Derived from the Indonesian horror film “Mutelu: Occult War”, the term “Mutelu” encompasses a wide range of belief-related topics, products and services, from amulets and talismans to fortune-telling and faith tourism.

This fusion of Buddhist, Brahmanist, animist, and occult beliefs has become a powerhouse in Thailand’s economy in recent years.

Zanroo said that it has been using social listening tools to survey public interest online from January 1 to September 16, and found that there have been some 3.91 billion engagements related to Mutelu topics in Thailand.

94.5 per cent of these social media engagements came from TikTok, while 4.6 per cent from YouTube.

Facebook, X and Instagram contributed miniscule percentages of 0.4, 0.3 and 0.2, respectively.

Some 190 million engagements have expressed positive opinions about the so-called faith economy, said Zanroo, adding that about 4.8 million engagements are negative, mostly involving scams based on people’s religious and supernatural beliefs.

The survey found that about 50 per cent of Mutelu engagements came from Gen Z, with popular topics including fortune telling, make-up and fashion to increase one’s luck, and products and services that help one find a soulmate.

Gen Y (age 28-43 years) contributed around 26 per cent of faith-related engagements, with popular topics focusing on faith traveling and visiting temples, as well as amulet collection and trading.

Lastly, Gen X (age 44-59 years), were responsible for 12 per cent of engagements.

People in this group are interested in visiting temples, Feng Shui (Chinese geomancy), and searching for “lucky numbers” to buy lottery tickets.