[DECODED] When politicians meme their way into your feed

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'Political messages no longer wear suits or speak from podiums. They dance. They sing. They meme their way into your feed. And they’re more persuasive than we think.'

I’m back in Manila after a week-long trip to Berlin for a global discussion on disinformation and influence operations. One of the interesting conversations I had was about the intersection of pop culture and disinformation — something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, especially when I scroll through my Facebook feed that is now filled with election memes and dancing politicians.

Once upon a time, political power was spoken through books, manifestos, and newsprint. Today, it dances awkwardly on TikTok, sings through campaign jingles, and slides into your feed as a meme.

We’ve grown used to politicians breaking into dance routines or borrowing celebrity status during campaign season. It’s tempting to dismiss these moments as harmless showbiz. But around the world — and right here at home — pop culture has become a powerful vehicle for political manipulation and disinformation.

In Romania, a so-called “TikTok Messiah” rose from obscurity to win the presidency with the help of Russian disinformation networks and viral short-form content. In Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto danced his way into young voters’ hearts, leveraging TikTok in a country that ranks second globally in its user base. And in the Philippines, campaign jingles and viral dance videos have become mainstays, flattening complex political narratives into catchy and shareable content. Remember those viral videos of Duterte dancing Nae Nae and Budots?

VIRAL. Screenshots from viral posts of Rodrigo Duterte and Prabowo Subianto dancing during their campaigns for the presidency in the Philippines and Indonesia.

The use of spectacle and entertainment for politics isn’t new. What’s new is how social media has supercharged it, blurring the lines between fact and fiction, politics and play.

At The Nerve, our team has been tracking how this “remix” strategy is used to spread disinformation. One concept we use is that of “boundary spanners” — Facebook groups, meme pages, and influencer accounts that bridge different online communities. Disinformation networks often rely on this structure: a source account spreads false content, while dozens (or hundreds) of amplifiers spread it across multiple communities. 

This distribution strategy is especially powerful when these messages are seeded in non-political spaces. Increasingly, we’re seeing political memes posted in showbiz pages, K-drama fandom groups, or lifestyle and faith communities. Non-political influencers now dabble in soft political messaging, knowingly or unknowingly amplifying political narratives. These tactics work because they feel organic and familiar. They don’t trigger the same resistance as overt propaganda, which often comes off as paternalistic.

Most of us build our own media bubbles. But when political messages show up in the spaces we consider “safe” or “non-political,” they catch us off guard — and that’s the point.

Why is this strategy so effective for disinformation?

Because it plays with emotion, familiarity, and repetition. Psychologists call it the illusory truth effect: The more we’re exposed to a lie, the more likely we are to believe it, even if we initially knew it was false. Rappler calls this “death by a thousand cuts.” These cuts come from friends, influencers, and fandoms, in the form of humor, dance trends, and nostalgia. 

TikTok, for example, creates a kind of “lonely crowd,” where we become overly concerned with the opinions and expectations of others, at the cost of our individuality. We feel pressured to conform to popular trends, or what we perceive to be popular. The problem? Our sense of what’s “popular” is shaped by algorithms. And those algorithms can be manipulated by actors who understand their weaknesses.

So what can we do?

We have to start seeing that disinformation is not just a problem of facts. It’s also a problem of culture — one that exploits our emotions, identities, and entertainment habits. This isn’t just about how young people consume content. It’s about how culture — remixed, emotionalized, and weaponized — is now central to how political power is shaped online.

Media literacy is important, but we also need narrative literacy: the ability to decode the stories we’re being told, especially when they come wrapped in humor, music, or celebrity sparkle.

When we see these posts, we need to ask: Who’s behind this viral post? Why is it being shared here? Who benefits? What patterns repeat across different spaces?

Because political messages no longer wear suits or speak from podiums. They dance. They sing. They meme their way into your feed. And they’re more persuasive than we think. – Rappler.com

The Nerve is a data forensics company that enables changemakers to navigate real-world trends and issues through narrative and network investigations. Taking the best of human and machine, we enable partners to unlock powerful insights that shape informed decisions. Composed of a team of data scientists, strategists, award-winning storytellers, and designers, the company is on a mission to deliver data with real-world impact.