In Indonesia, Facebook and Twitter are 'buzzer' battlegrounds as elections loom


  • World
  • Wednesday, 13 Mar 2019

FILE PHOTO: Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) shakes hands with Prabowo Subianto on February 17, 2019 after the second debate between presidential candidates ahead of the next general election in Jakarta, Indonesia. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Almost every day, "Janda", a self-described Indonesian housewife with 2,000 Twitter followers, dispenses lifestyle tips, complains about city life, and praises how the government of President Joko Widodo has improved her life as a young mother.

But Janda the housewife does not exist. The Twitter account's real owner is an unmarried middle-aged man who offers political social media services backing Widodo's re-election campaign.

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