Inside a meme factory: meet one of thousands of Indonesians trading political outrage clicks for Facebook cash
An investigation reveals that Indonesian content creators are generating AI-driven political memes to monetize engagement on Facebook. These creators often lack knowledge of the political subjects they post about, focusing instead on maximizing ad revenue.
Why it matters
This highlights how social media monetization models can inadvertently incentivize the spread of misinformation and political polarization globally.
‘We are seeking dollars,’ one Indonesian content creator says of posting content about Australian and US politics. Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian design/Getty Images/Facebook ‘We are seeking dollars,’ one Indonesian content creator says of posting content about Australian and US politics. Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian design/Getty Images/Facebook Social media Inside a meme factory: meet one of thousands of Indonesians trading political outrage clicks for Facebook cash Exclusive: Adira says she doesn’t know much about her target countries or even know who their leaders are. Instead she’s chasing money from Meta, which pays for engagement
Prefer the Guardian on Google From her home in West Java, Adira* often starts the day with a Facebook post about coffee and the busy day ahead. Then she gets to work.
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