Social media has practically become a critical instrument in moulding political discourse and influencing public opinion. The reason is obvious. It is readily accessible, an instant source of information and a platform that practically allows everyone to engage in crucial discussions in real time. With its vast reach and powerful algorithms, it makes possible the distribution and reinforcement of political narratives which in turn influence, if not dictate political outcomes.

Contrary to popular sentiment, every candidate running for office regardless of his political conviction and affiliation engages heavily in narrative-driven campaign that is not necessarily reflective of the truth or even portions of it. In fact, part of the prohibitive cost of mounting a political campaign is heavily devoted to creating stories and narratives that reinforce his brand or persona.

How narratives are created is actually a painstaking process. Usually, it starts with a candidate hiring spin doctors whose job is to develop deceptive and misleading messages that help promote his brand while negatively attacking his opponents. These so-called public relations advisors and media consultants utilize the resources given to them to shape facts and manipulate understanding of issues. In certain cases, they can even outright fabricate them in order to reshape how the public perceives a candidate, specifically if such perception negatively impacts his chances.

Based on studies conducted, political narrative is not only a theoretical concept, but “a tool employed by political figures in order to construct the perspectives of people within their environment and alter relationships between social groups and individuals.” Because of this, “fiction has the potential to become fact and myths become intertwined into public discourse.” It effectively elicits pathos that allow “the narrative to be influential through the value it provides rather than the truth that is told.”

How this is done is dependent on the reputation of a candidate, his own persona, or how charismatic he is. In the case of Robredo, for instance, most narratives designed for her were issue-driven considering she was not necessarily marketable as opposed to BBM who was forced to fabricate facts concerning his past given the negative reputation that fairly or unfairly preceded him.

In the case of former President Duterte, stories that surrounded him tended to take advantage of his charisma, making him almost like a mythical figure who can save the day.

There is actually a method to this madness and is not really organically shaped as most people suspect although it can take advantage of organically-developed perspectives which may be amplified for maximum effect.

As I said, these narratives are not necessarily reflective of the truth or sometimes, even an iota of it. Those swayed by this good-versus-evil commentary during the previous presidential race may, in hindsight, have now realized how silly that narrative really is considering that there is so much shades of grey in politics and the people peddling them are products of the same system that is responsible for the mess we are all in. Meanwhile, those who actually bought the “Uniteam” as the embodiment of shared commitment for public service must have recognized by this time it was nothing but a mere marriage for convenience.

People don’t actually realize that billions of pesos are spent in political advertisements and other related campaign monoliths. Contrary to popular beliefs, all candidates peddle fake news through troll farms they created or through paid propagandists and clout chasers disguised as social media influencers.

The recent mid-term polls crucially highlights this. With the exception of few people like Luke Espiritu and other independent candidates who do not have huge resources to spend and of course Vico Sotto, who abandoned traditional campaigning in favor of basically delivering on his promises, all other candidates spent a lot if only to boost their chances.

With the prohibitive cost of mounting an electoral campaign, may we all be reminded that these resources expended are not really considered expenses. They are actually investments which should be recouped one way or another at the expense of the people.