A WhatsApp channel called Lula's Army grew to 10.8 million followers and is credited by allies with helping Lula come back in Brazil's election.
A WhatsApp channel called Lula's Army is being credited by allies with helping Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva win re-election. He had been trailing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, then turned the race around in about three weeks. The channel grew to 10.8 million followers. Experts say no one can tell how many votes it actually changed.
The channel was led by Congressman André Janones. It urged supporters to share videos, push hashtags and recruit new voters. Many messages came as ready-made templates that followers could pass to friends and family. Each one gave a specific job, such as boosting a new campaign video or helping a hashtag take off.
Janones spoke to followers like a commander speaking to troops. Some of his messages read: "Guys, urgent!", "Don't go to sleep yet" and "No food before the mission!" On the eve of the election he also hosted a 24-hour live event, called the "turnaround livestream," while polls still pointed to a Bolsonaro win.
For years, conservatives allied with former President Jair Bolsonaro were seen as dominating online political organizing in Brazil, especially on WhatsApp and Telegram. WhatsApp networks became a defining feature of campaigns after Bolsonaro won in 2018. Lula's Army convinced many supporters that the left had finally found a way to compete in that space.
Not everyone in Lula's Workers' Party was comfortable. Some worried that Janones's often confrontational style online could hurt the more moderate image they wanted for Lula. In his victory speech, Lula still called Janones "our General" and thanked him for "raising the morale of our troops every day."
Political scientists urge caution. They say it is impossible to know how many votes, if any, the WhatsApp effort directly influenced. Denilde Holzhacker points to a change in Lula's strategy. She says he linked online work with local, on-the-ground campaigning and tied a Bolsonaro win to fears about social programs and lost rights. She also says Flávio Bolsonaro entered the final round overconfident.
Mayra Goulart, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, says it was a mix of social media and street-level work. In her view, that mix helped reduce the number of people who stayed home and persuaded undecided voters.
Lula said digital communication will play a much bigger role in his government. He also promised to give people a greater say in decision-making. How that will work in practice has not been spelled out in this report.
A message from a friend that comes with a ready-made post and a task may be part of an organized push, so it helps to notice who is behind it.
A 2024 review found phone radiation likely does not raise brain tumor risk. Trapped heat from a charging phone under a pillow is the bigger worry.
Read more: Sleeping with your phone under the pillow is a fire risk, not a cancer riskA writer removed popular apps from her Android phone after checking her screen time, and says she now spends less time and money on them.
Read more: A writer deleted 8 phone apps, and her screen time habits changedFour free, open-source Android apps work with no cell service, covering maps, sensors, first aid and survival tips. Set them up before the trip.
Read more: Four free Android apps that keep working when you have no signal
