There are still many small local communities in different parts of Thailand that live in pretty much traditional ways. Times are changing for these people too, but at a much slower pace than they do in the big cities or in most developed countries.
Here is a fascinating documentary about shell gleaners in Southern Thailand, in the small village of Ban Mondtanoi.
An experience like this you can really only have when you go with a personal tour guide. Tour operators don’t go to these places, and if they do, it turns into a kind of circus where you watch these people, take pictures with them and maybe buy some souvenirs – but you don’t really experience or understand what life is like there. This can only happen when you travel with a very small group and have someone who can introduce you to locals, help to translate and is aware of cultural differences. This way it can be a real encounter that both you and the locals there will remember with joy.