How do political influencers contribute to divisive identity politics?

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Political influencers contribute to divisive identity politics by amplifying racist and divisive narratives for virality and votes through coordinated online campaigns.

Influencer agencies, along with marketing agencies and paid cybertroopers, are described as being used to spread racist and divisive content, with anger, fear, and polarisation framed to drive engagement. The escalation is reflected in Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission figures, where takedown requests for “race, religion and royalty” content rose from 197 in 2022 to 7,648 by 2024, alongside MCMC observations in 2026 of heightened online activity and public sentiment around race and religion issues.
Tactics used to spread identity-based messages for engagement
The account describes how influencer agencies are paid to distribute content that targets identity, including race and religion narratives. It says marketing agencies, paid cybertroopers, and influencers systematically weaponise anger, fear, and polarisation to secure virality and votes, while boosting false stories that lead ordinary users to direct hatred toward others.
How political messaging and online campaigns can be coordinated
The material points to coordinated political messaging and online campaigns that amplify racial rhetoric, rather than isolated posts. It also notes that MCMC observed “indications” some online activity may exhibit characteristics associated with Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour, while stating that assigning responsibility requires deeper case-by-case technical, behavioural, and network analysis.
The scale of takedown activity for race, religion, and royalty content
MCMC disclosures cited here include 13,795 takedown requests issued between January 2022 and May 2026 for “race, religion and royalty” content, resulting in the removal of 8,628 items. The breakdown cited is 8,159 requests due to race, 4,139 due to religion, and 1,497 due to royalty, with the sharp increase from 197 in 2022 to 7,648 by 2024 highlighted as a key indicator of rising racial provocation after Pakatan Harapan formed the government.
Political figures and platforms that feed identity politics narratives
The discussion links divisive identity politics to political leaders and election messaging that target Malay-Muslim voters and portray other groups as threats. It cites examples including Dr Mahathir Mohamad calling on Malay voters to support Malay-Muslim candidates with claims that Malays are at risk of being a stateless people, Abdul Hadi Awang’s history of labelling non-Muslims as infidels (kafir), and Khairy Jamaluddin urging Malay-Muslim voters in Negeri Sembilan to support Umno-BN as the only group able to safeguard community interests. It also references a March concern by Deputy National Unity Minister Yuneswaran Ramaraj that Parliament was the largest recorded source of incidents last year, with nearly 80 per cent of Parliament-related cases in a racism report involving opposition MPs.

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How do political influencers contribute to divisive identity politics?

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