Adira, a content creator from West Java, Indonesia, starts her day with a casual Facebook post about coffee before diving into a routine that earns her dollars from Meta. She is part of a vast network of Indonesian 'buzzers' who monetize political content, often about countries they know little about.
Monetizing Engagement
Adira shares posts in Facebook groups like 'Team Pauline Hanson,' which has nearly 26,000 members, and others dedicated to US political figures. She uses AI-generated images and engages with groups to drive interactions, which Meta rewards through its creator program. 'We don't follow politics overseas, we don't want to be involved,' she says. 'We just, you know, try to earn more dollars. There is no intention to the right or to the left.'
Meta paid nearly US$3bn to creators in 2025 for content engagement, according to the company. This incentive structure encourages such activity, says Associate Prof Timothy Graham from Queensland University of Technology. 'If you want to stop the issue, you have to stop Meta farming populations for money,' he says. 'There's something harmful about the product.'
The Buzzer Economy
Adira is part of Indonesia's 'buzzer' economy, where accounts amplify messages often hiding financial motives. Associate Prof Ross Tapsell from the Australian National University explains, 'It comes out of the idea that … they're making noise online,' comparing the collective effect to 'lots of small insects put together make a really big ambient noise.'
Many buzzers are economically vulnerable. Angtyasti Jiwasiddi wrote in Kompas, 'This machine operates by attracting those who are most economically vulnerable. This job requires zero skills and zero capital, requiring only a cell phone and a few accounts.'
Platform Response
Meta suspended seven of the 14 Hanson support groups previously identified by the Guardian for 'violating our policies,' but did not respond to other questions. Adira admits she knows little about the political contexts she posts about. 'We are just seeking dollars,' she says. 'We don't know, like, even who the president is… The Pauline group has great dollars.'
