In the high-stakes arena of Brazilian politics, the 2022 presidential election was a battle fought as much online as off. At the center was Congressman André Janones, who built a digital army on WhatsApp to counter the far-right's playbook.
The Digital Battlefield of Brazil
To understand
the significance of André Janones's strategy, one must first look back to 2018. Jair Bolsonaro's presidential victory was largely attributed to a masterful and unprecedented use of social media, particularly WhatsApp. His campaign built a formidable digital machine that bypassed traditional media, communicating directly with voters through countless groups that spread messages, memes, and a significant amount of disinformation. For years, Brazil's right-wing was seen as the undisputed master of this digital domain, leaving opponents struggling to find a competitive footing. Lula's 2022 campaign initially seemed poised to suffer the same fate, underestimating the power of this new political landscape.
Enter André Janones: The 'General'
André Janones, a federal congressman from Minas Gerais, was an unlikely figure to turn the tide. A populist politician with a massive social media following, he had initially launched his own presidential bid before endorsing Lula. Janones understood the digital language of the moment because he spoke it fluently. He was known for his combative, emotionally charged style, which some experts described as fighting the far-right with its own weapons. After Lula finished behind his opponent in the first round of voting, Janones stepped in to overhaul a digital strategy that was failing to keep pace. In his victory speech, Lula himself would thank Janones, calling him 'our General' for his role in lifting supporter morale.
Inside 'Lula's Army'
The core of Janones's strategy was a WhatsApp channel called 'Exército do Lula', or 'Lula's Army'. After the first round of voting, the channel's followers swelled from around 60,000 to nearly 11 million by election day. Janones transformed the channel into a virtual command center, issuing daily 'missions' to his followers, whom he called 'soldiers'. These tasks were specific and designed to manipulate social media algorithms. They included sharing specific videos, pushing hashtags, running coordinated Google searches to boost negative stories about his opponent, and even instructing followers when not to engage with right-wing posts to avoid increasing their visibility.
Fighting Fire with a New Kind of Fire
The tactics were aggressive and relentless. Janones used urgent, all-caps messages and a military-style rhetoric that mirrored the very populism he was fighting. He successfully mobilized his followers to reclaim national symbols, like the yellow Brazil football jersey, which had been co-opted by the right. One mission instructed millions to post selfies wearing the jersey while making an 'L' sign for Lula, flooding social media feeds. Janones also used his platform to create a sense of community and purpose, helping to combat the defeatism that had set in after the first-round loss. This approach was not without controversy, with even some of Lula's allies initially wary of his combative style.
The Decisive Impact
While it is impossible to quantify exactly how many votes 'Lula's Army' swayed, its impact is widely seen as a critical factor in Lula's comeback. Analysts credit the strategy with neutralizing the right's longstanding digital advantage and mobilizing voters who had stayed home in the first round. Janones's humanpowered algorithm, built on millions of dedicated followers carrying out coordinated tasks, proved to be a powerful countermeasure to his opponent's online machine. The campaign even convinced Lula himself, who did not own a smartphone before the election, to get one and join the WhatsApp channel, where he began recording his own selfiestyle videos.
