Tulum’s Hidden War on Social Media

Tulum, Mexico — In Tulum, there are no coincidences. When a government decides to impose order where lawlessness reigned for years, when economic interests that operated with impunity under the protection of corruption are challenged, and when the state begins to reclaim territory from the hands of crime and real estate profiteers, a political blowback is not long in coming. Today, that blowback takes the form of a black campaign, disguised as "citizen opinion" on social media, but in reality, it is a well-financed digital war aimed at halting the municipality's transformation.

The Strategy: Mudslinging to Cause Erosion

From anonymous profiles, faceless pages, and supposed "independent" media, a digital offensive has been deployed, following a known script: to misinform, distort, and sow distrust. Every government action—no matter how minor—becomes the target of coordinated attacks. Decisions on security, operations against land invasions, environmental defense, and even social programs are presented as mistakes, abuses, or failures. The intention is not to criticize with arguments, but to weaken with lies. It is the old political tactic of mudslinging: if you cannot stop the progress with reason, smear the one leading it. At its core, the message is clear: to make the citizenry doubt, to lose confidence, and for the transformation project to lose legitimacy.

Behind the Noise: Powerful Interests

The discourse of citizen outrage that these campaigns purport to embody falls apart when analyzing who benefits from their success. There are three actors clearly favored by the political erosion:

1. The Real Estate Cartel: Tulum is now one of the most coveted territories in the country. Every hectare the government protects, every halt to deforestation, or every attempt to organize urban growth directly affects the multi-million dollar interests of developers accustomed to acting without permits or planning. For them, a strong and legitimate government is an obstacle.
2. Political Operators in Election Season: With their sights set on the 2027 elections, some opposition actors know that weakening the municipal administration today is the best way to position themselves tomorrow. The black campaign is their early electoral rehearsal: to undermine confidence, fabricate scandals, and build narratives they can capitalize on at the ballot box.
3. Organized Crime: The criminal structures that operate retail drug sales, land trafficking, and extortion have felt the presence of the state. Every successful operation, every arrest, and every centimeter of reclaimed territory represents losses. Their strategy is simple: to make the citizenry believe the government cannot handle the problem, so that fear becomes their best ally.

The Citizen, the Target of Manipulation

The true objective of these campaigns is not the officials, but society itself. If they manage to make the population lose confidence in its authorities, to believe that "they are all the same," and that nothing can change, then they will have won the first battle: that of disillusionment. This is why black campaigns disguise themselves as citizen complaints, mix half-truths with complete lies, and appeal to legitimate anger in order to manipulate it.

What Is at Stake

Tulum currently faces enormous challenges: accelerated urban growth, illegal land invasions, organized crime, and unprecedented tourist pressures. Solving them involves decisions that cause discomfort, policies that affect interests, and actions that inevitably generate resistance. But behind that discomfort lies a greater objective: to restore order, protect the environmental heritage, and ensure that development benefits everyone, not just a few. The black campaign is nothing more than the desperate response of those who see their privileges threatened.

The challenge for the municipal government will be to stay the course without falling for provocations, to strengthen its communication with facts and transparency, and to trust that the citizenry will be able to distinguish between legitimate criticism and paid manipulation. Because in the end, the battle for Tulum is not fought on Facebook or on X: it is fought in the capacity of its people to not be deceived and to continue betting on real change.