Indonesians Run Political Outrage 'Meme Factories' for Meta Creator Pay
Guardian investigation reveals thousands of Indonesian creators monetize political engagement across Facebook groups targeting Australia, US politics.
Conversation activity · last 24 hours peak 3/hr
Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 5 items across 4 sources · 5h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
The Guardian's investigation into Indonesia's "buzzer" economy found that thousands of Indonesian creators, including a woman named Adira operating from West Java, run prolific accounts in foreign political Facebook groups to earn money from Meta's creator program. These "meme factories" target groups focused on Australian Senator Pauline Hanson, US politicians like JD Vance and Pete Hegseth, and Charlie Kirk, posting AI-generated images and inflammatory content designed to maximize engagement. The creators say they have no political agenda and are simply pursuing financial incentives, though researchers note the ecosystem also includes state-sponsored accounts and those linked to advertising companies and political parties.
- Indonesian creators operating from locations like West Java systematically monetize political engagement on Facebook by posting in foreign political groups (Pauline Hanson, US politicians, Charlie Kirk) through Meta's creator program.
- Adira and other creators claim purely financial motivation with no political intent, discovering profitable groups via platform recommendations and Indonesian coordinator networks that share posting strategy and content.
- The operation reflects Indonesia's larger "buzzer" economy of social media amplification accounts that also includes state-sponsored operations and accounts linked to political parties and advertising agencies.
- Meta's engagement-based creator reward system creates direct financial incentives for inflammatory political content targeting audiences globally, with minimal apparent oversight.
How it unfolded
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Report Guardian publishes deep dive into meme factory operation
The Guardian publishes an exclusive investigative article profiling Adira, a prolific Indonesian creator from West Java, detailing how she and others systematically post political content across multiple foreign political Facebook groups to earn Meta creator program payouts.
“We don't follow foreign politics, we don't want to get involved with that stuff. We're just trying to earn more money. We have no political intention, right or left.”
Adira · Hacker News ↗ -
Analysis Expert contextualizes buzzer economy structure
Associate Professor Ross Tapsell from Australian National University explains the buzzer ecosystem includes creators monetizing clicks, accounts linked to advertising and political parties, and state-sponsored operations.
“It comes out of the idea that they're making noise online.”
Associate Professor Ross Tapsell · Hacker News ↗ - 6 weeks quiet
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Event Adira posts mismatched content in Australian group
In the Team Pauline Hanson Facebook group, Adira shares a post about a Muslim woman leaving the US because of Trump's policies rather than content tailored for an Australian audience, demonstrating occasional misalignment with target group focus.
- 4 weeks quiet
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Report Guardian first reveals foreign-run One Nation groups
The Guardian publishes initial reporting that some of the biggest pro-One Nation Facebook groups appeared to be run by and largely composed of foreign creators monetizing their content, many based in Indonesia.
What people are saying verbatim
“We don't follow foreign politics, we don't want to get involved with that stuff. We're just trying to earn more money. We have no political intention, right or left.”
Adira, Indonesian content creator · The Guardian ↗ · Aug 8
“If I post something, suggested groups will show up. I saw the Pauline group and the dollars were good, then you look for other groups with Pauline.”
Adira, Indonesian content creator · The Guardian ↗ · Aug 8
“People from overseas get suspicious.”
Adira, Indonesian content creator · The Guardian ↗ · Aug 8
“It comes out of the idea that they're making noise online.”
Associate Professor Ross Tapsell, Researcher, Australian National University · The Guardian ↗ · Aug 8