Abstract
Digital media can shape people’s political perspectives as it
is used as a medium for communication and information. In the
Philippines, the use of Facebook has become an avenue not just
for socialization but also, for political discourse. Being considered
as one of the world’s top Facebook users, Facebook is used
by individuals to serve as a platform to construct propaganda
networks. Diehard Duterte Supporters (also known as the
“DDS”) use this digital media platform to rally behind President
Duterte, promote his achievements, and also, to defend him
against criticisms. On the other hand, Jean Baudrillard believes
that media plays a pivotal role in constituting a new realm of
experience. Baudrillard’s central thesis is that the media serves
as a key simulation machine that constitutes a hyperreality. In this
paper, the researchers examined how political propagandas is
conveyed by selected Die-hard Duterte Supporters (DDS) through
Facebook. In light of Jean Baudrillard’s notion of hyperreality, the
have elucidated the serious concerns regarding the proliferation
of political propaganda in social media. As a result, the researchers
claim that Facebook pages are used by the DDS as key simulation
tools for framing the contents of their political propaganda to
match their political objectives and it is therefore described as,
“political framing”. Political framing of information and content
is comparable to Baudrillard’s notion of simulation, wherein it
involves a judicious process of creating political propaganda which
involves filtering, recycling, editing information, selecting content
and arguments that ultimately, blurs the distinction between the
true information and disinformation, thus, creates hyperreality.