Dominate on Digital

The Play

People spend many hours online. The digital space is today's main political battlefield, because that's where common sense is built. We must recognize that authoritarians have often mastered it: they use humor, rage, and spectacle to dominate attention and spread their message.

By contrast, democracy defenders often arrive late, shouting facts into a noisy feed that doesn't listen. This play is about crafting and distributing political content that feels like it belongs where it appears—whether on TikTok, WhatsApp, or Instagram. Content that blends information with entertainment, urgency with playfulness.

If democracy defenders don't show up with energy, creativity, and consistency, authoritarians will keep owning the stage. But presence isn't enough—use formats people enjoy and emotions they can feel. Instead of lecturing, connect. Instead of reacting to trends, set them.

Among others, building influencer networks, adopting fandom logic, and mastering vertical video are tactics that adapt to social media codes. They enable cultural remixes with political messages that travel inside the formats people already love, delivering meaning that entertains, engages, and mobilizes.

Why it works

• Native content earns attention. Content that feels natural to the platform—using its formats, tone, and rhythm—blends in instead of standing out as political messaging.
• Cultural cues unlock emotion. Using humor, slang, and pop culture helps messages land in people's hearts, not just their heads.
• Trusted messengers drive belief. We trust those we already follow. When friends, creators, or community figures share political content, it feels safer to engage.
• Community creates commitment. Digital micro-universes give people a role, an identity, and a sense of belonging. They don't just watch—they show up.
• Repetition strengthens memory. Seeing the same message in different voices boosts recall and retention. It moves ideas from fleeting to fixed.

How it works

1. Listen Before You Speak

Start with social listening, offline conversations, and meme tracking. Follow hashtags, scroll comment sections. Pay attention to the music, shows, slang, and pop culture references people use to express what matters to them. Don't guess—observe. The most effective messages come from understanding the language, tone, and codes that people already use.

2. Serve Broccoli in the Rice

Deliver serious ideas through formats people already consume and enjoy. Don't lead with the headline—lead with the vibe. Build a communications ecosystem that does the work: creators, remixers, and fans embedding meaning into content people already love. Let humor, storytelling, and cultural cues spark attention. Hide the broccoli in the rice: emotion first, message embedded, call to action in crescendo, from subtle feeling to shared purpose.

3. Distribute Through Trusted Messengers

Build a network of influencers, creators, and community figures who already have credibility with your target audience. Let the message move through voices people trust—not official accounts. Map who shapes opinion in each space and equip them to carry the message further than you ever could. On WhatsApp and group chats, prioritize content that feels native to those spaces: voice notes, memes, or forwards that people naturally share.

4. Build High-Intensity Communities

Don't just post—organize. High-intensity communities go beyond followers; they create belonging. Use shared symbols, language, and missions to forge identity and commitment. Tap into fandom energy to make people proud to be part of something. These communities aren't passive consumers of your messages—they live the mission, recruit others, and spread culture. The stronger the sense of belonging, the stronger the movement.

5. Scale Up with Smart Tools

Use AI and automation to speed up content production, adapt messages to different languages, and test what works across platforms. AI technology lets small teams punch above their weight especialmente—but only when creativity leads the way. So don't automate the soul, just optimize the structure. Use tools to adapt and remix what already performs well. A good digital campaign also speaks in the authentic language of each platform—what works on TikTok won't work the same on Instagram or WhatsApp.

6. Make it Shareable

Frame democratic values not as lectures or homework, but as content people want to share. Blend urgency with joy, information with entertainment. If democracy can't be felt, it can't be defended. Turn your message into something people are comfortable reposting, quoting, or remixing—not out of duty, but because it reflects how they want to be seen. The best political content travels like pop culture: memorable, emotional, and made to be passed on.

Tips

A. Target Smart, Talk Outside the Choir

Your goal shouldn't be just reach—it's reach that cuts across bubbles. Think ecosystems, not megaphones. Use social listening and sentiment analysis to spot flexible audiences who can shift their views. Then amplify through diverse influencers: not just political voices, but figures in sports, entertainment, spirituality, or gossip as well as local leaders or community figures whose influence is strongest in their own circles.

B. Make AI Work for You, Not Instead of You

AI can help you scale—but only if humans stay in charge. Let AI generate drafts, explore formats, and speed up production, but make sure humans refine the tone, remove bias, and embed meaning. This collaboration keeps your message aligned with your values, and ensures political content stays inclusive, credible, and emotionally real. AI is your tool—not your voice.

C. Flood the Zone with Content

There is no such thing as too much communication. Share messages frequently across every available channel—formal and informal. Don't assume people have heard you once; most will need to hear it many times, in many formats, before it sticks. Repetition builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust. And remember, not every post needs polish—speed often beats perfection. Timely, authentic responses resonate more than overproduced content that lands after the wave has already passed.

Who's done it well?

Brazil: Lula da Silva

Restoring Trust and Belonging

In 2022, Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva's presidential campaign centered on healing a divided Brazil. Rather than appealing only to his base, he spoke to the whole country—workers, business owners, and faith communities alike—inviting everyone to take part in rebuilding democracy. His coalition, which included former opponents, embodied the idea that Brazil's future depended on dialogue and cooperation across ideological lines. The campaign projected calm, empathy, and shared responsibility, contrasting sharply with years of polarizing rhetoric and distrust.

Lula's message focused on restoring faith in one another and in the institutions that hold society together. By framing democracy as a collective effort, he offered Brazilians a vision of governance that emphasized respect, fairness, and national unity over partisanship.

"There are not two Brazils. We are a single country, a single people, a great nation."

Indonesia: Anies Baswedan

Listening to Reach Beyond the Base (2024 Campaign)

Late in the 2024 campaign, Aniess team brought in social listening and sentiment analysis to adapt their strategy in real time. They tracked viral content, mapped influencers, and gauged reactions to both their own messages and those of their opponents. The turning point came during the presidential debates—live analysis showed what resonated most, helping the team create timely memes and responses that shaped the narrative. By riding public discourse instead of shouting over it, they stayed agile, relevant, and emotionally aligned with voters.

By using social listening and sentiment analysis, we pinpointed groups that could be influenced in specific moments (...) This allowed us to engage meaningfully with the right people at the right time."

France: Influencers Against the Far Right

A Network to Turn Likes into Votes

In the 2024 French legislative elections, over 400 influencers organized on WhatsApp to stop the far right from taking power. Each day, they received clear, emotionally driven inputs—videos, talking points, and memes—focused on boosting turnout among disengaged young voters. They created content that felt personal and shareable, including viral campaigns like "Dear Parents" and "Conversations with Far-Right Supporters".

Instead of overwhelming influencers with political jargon, organizers emphasized trust, creativity, and peer-to-peer coordination. The result: over 200 posts, 50 million people reached, and a surge in youth turnout that helped block a far-right majority.

"Our group was primarily composed of a diverse group of influencers united by a shared goal: to engage in political discourse, even if it was outside their usual content."

Brazil: Luaverso & Bolsoflix

Building Love and Loathing

In Brazil's 2022 elections, two digital universes—Lulaverso and Bolsoflix—mobilized voters through emotional identity. Lulaverso created a fandom around Lula, using humor, gossip, and pop culture to present him as charismatic, fun, and deeply human. It targeted voters who admired Lula but weren't yet politically engaged—especially younger audiences who hadn't lived through his previous presidency.

Bolsoflix, on the other hand, operated as a "hatedom": it amplified Bolsonaro's most controversial moments to fuel anger and rejection. Instead of soft persuasion, it leaned into outrage—channeling negative sentiment into political distancing. Both campaigns used influencer networks, WhatsApp groups, and meme-driven formats to generate viral momentum and embed political messages into daily digital life

"Lulaverso allowed us to connect emotionally with those who saw Lula as more than just a politician. We humanized him, made him approachable (...) With Bolsoflix, we avoided using excessive or abstract fear. We focused on showing Bolsonaro's tangible failures, but mixed them with humor and satire".

India: Indian National Congress

Mobilizing from the Pocket

Ahead of India's 2024 elections, the Indian National Congress built a massive WhatsApp operation to counter the ruling BJP's digital dominance. With over 2,800 groups and 150,000 party workers, they distributed memes, voice notes, and emotional appeals tailored to regional languages and concerns.

This wasn't just broadcasting—it was grassroots digital organizing. Local party members acted as micro-influencers, circulating content that felt personal and familiar. The strategy prioritized relatability over polish, pairing everyday humor with political messaging. WhatsApp became not just a tool, but a territory—one where voters could feel seen, and where political identity could spread organically, chat by chat.

"Our success came from combining strategic coordination, credible collaborations, and real-world mobilization, ensuring that digital messaging was not just widespread, but impactful."

Learn more

D-Hub Resources

• "Put Broccoli on the Rice." Volume 2, Digital Comms.
• "Network of Influencers." Volume 2, Digital Comms.
• "Fandoms and Hatedoms." Volume 2, Digital Comms.
• "Social Listening and Sentiment Analysis." Volume 2, Digital Comms.
• "Whatsapp Groups." Volume 2, Digital Comms.
• "AI for content production." Volume 2, Digital Comms.

Other Resources

• D-Hub. 2024. "Defusing the far-right bomb." The Fight For Democracy Chronicles, Volume 8.
• D-Hub. 2024. "The Triumph of the Outsider." The Fight For Democracy Chronicles, Volume 8.