By all means, political memes have become a staple on social media and in the digital space in the Philippines. With the ongoing controversy regarding the alleged massive corruption in the Philippine government’s flood control projects, for example, one recalls how certain individuals who were present during the Sept. 1 Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, politicians and contractors in particular, easily became subjects of funny viral memes on various platforms.
Particularly remarkable are memes of this contractor who had invoked his right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions about his firm’s alleged involvement in “ghost” projects. Rehashed photos of a seemingly pressured and nervous Mark Allan Arevalo of Wawao Builders, slouching with his eyes closed, quickly spread on the internet.
Memes — generally referred to here as pieces of media meant to convey cultural, social, or political expressions mainly through humor — are interesting representations of our society. Indeed, they constitute reality in ways traditional media would not. They come in many different forms and sizes, be it a post that contains just text or one that contains photos or illustrations, or a combination of these. Given the multimedia character of social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Threads, and X, memes may also include video and even audio clips, to amplify visual and affective aspects. The ubiquity of memes may well be part of what Dr. Sebastian Kaempf of the University of Queensland refers to as the “digital media revolution” which marked the democratization of images and therefore perspectives in the global media landscape thanks to the emergence of digital technology in the early 2000s.
Yet memes as a main feature of social media as we know it also belong to the larger framework and realm of disinformation in the Philippines. Unfortunately, they may also be utilized for so-called “networked disinformation campaigns,” according to Dr. Jason Cabañes of Goldsmiths, University of London and Dr. Jonathan Corpus Ong of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in their 2018 public report. Furthermore, the production of memes may well fall under what Dr. Aries Arugay and Maria Elize Mendoza of the University of the Philippines Diliman describe as the “digital autocratization and disinformation” in Philippine politics, especially during elections.
It goes without saying that such disinformation phenomena have brought us to where we are now as a nation: a condition that operates under post-truth logics where democratic institutions are severely compromised, and the majority of the population suffer the brunt of corrupt governance.
Speaking of corrupt governance, in view of the anomalous flood control projects, some observers also note how despite the urgent calls for accountability, Filipinos seem to have been constrained to just online engagement to express their anger and frustration, a view often juxtaposed with the recent violent and therefore more legitimate and sustained street protests against corruption in Indonesia.
But is the digital revolution completely futile or can it disrupt politics as usual? Looking into memes could perhaps provide a necessary nuance to this pessimistic view on such online forms of protests and engagements done by Filipino netizens. Indeed, while there is rampant and systematic disinformation, there is also space for critical and meaningful social media engagement through memes.
Take for example the meme page FTTM or Follow the Trend Movement, which as of writing has 4.7 million followers on Facebook, 360,000 on Instagram, 92.7 thousand on Threads, 49.6 thousand on X, and 38.1 thousand on TikTok. Across these platforms, FTTM describes itself as the “Home of Pinoy Pop Culture,” with memes showing images and featuring topics reflective of social trends on essentially anything under the sun, from catchy terms and simple expressions, to personalities, to culture. Politics is just one of them.
Interestingly, however, the page in recent months has become a busy watchdog or complaint center of sorts, advocating good governance practices at national and local levels. In several instances in May, FTTM, through some sarcastic memes, engaged with the official Facebook page of the Caloocan mayor on some perennial issues in the city, such as flood control, streetlights, and sanitation. In July, FTTM also engaged with the official Facebook page of the mayor of Calumpit regarding an online raffle for residents who were required to take selfies in their flooded homes to be considered for prizes.
While FTTM has more diverse and comprehensive memes in terms of theme and content, another Filipino meme page, Nutribun Republic, which now has 573,000 followers on Facebook, exhibits more straightforward, overtly political, academic, and critical, yet absorbable and funny memes. As part of its advocacy to “break the echo chamber” of progressive groups in Philippine society, Nutribun Republic posts memes that aim to provide insightful takes on current issues in politics. When certain pages and trolls downplayed the efforts of Senator Bam Aquino in pushing for free education, Nutribun Republic quickly posted a meme with a detailed writeup.
As these examples demonstrate, there is more to these viral political memes than the thousands of likes, reactions, and comments they get from people online. Indeed, in different ways they are able to disrupt the political establishment insofar as they are able to critically engage the digital space through their creative representation of issues. The potential of political memes to push the envelope of how we should engage online is thus equally important.
J. A. De Lima is a lecturer at the Department of Political Science, Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila University.
jdelima@ateneo.edu
