Embora o autismo não seja uma doença contagiosa, fala-se de uma “epidemia de autismo”, em alusão ao aumento vertiginoso do número de casos num período curto de tempo. O artigo traça um panorama das concepções socialmente partilhadas sobre o autismo no Brasil, a partir das narrativas que vêm conferindo visibilidade ao tema na mídia impressa brasileira no período de 2000 a 2012. Entendemos tais narrativas não como representações de uma realidade a priori, mas em sua função estruturante da experiência humana. Por um lado, essas narrativas dão forma e conteúdo às questões e às controvérsias ligadas ao autismo no Brasil, e, por outro, contribuem ativamente para esses debates, pois produzem determinados efeitos de sentido nos leitores.

As características da cultura e da sociedade se alteraram profundamente na medida em que novas formas de comunicação dependentes das tecnologias digitais adquiriram um uso generalizado, modificando o modo como buscamos e produzimos informação. Entretanto, as ciências sociais ainda analisam este fenômeno de maneira tímida, negligenciando os efeitos das tecnologias digitais nas sociedades e, sobretudo, no próprio ofício da sociologia. O presente artigo descreve o modo como as mudanças tecnológicas representam um dos grandes desafios para a sociologia do século XXI, argumentando que é necessário não apenas o aperfeiçoamento de aspectos tecnológicos da pesquisa - como, por exemplo, o domínio de softwares de análise qualitativa e quantitativa e de redes sociais digitais - mas, fundamentalmente, o avanço em termos do significado epistemológico destas tecnologias para a imaginação sociológica. Na primeira seção, é apresentada a proposta da sociologia digital. Em seguida, descreve-se o fenômeno da produção massiva de dados digitais e os desafios que tal contexto coloca para a sociologia. A terceira seção avalia as implicações para a sociologia do uso de softwares. A última seção defende a necessidade urgente de uma atualização teórico-metodológica da sociologia frente à produção massiva de dados digitais. Por fim, argumenta-se que a sobrevivência da sociologia dependerá da instrumentalização tecnológica aliada a uma reflexão diante de um novo horizonte de questões da era digital.

Background Weight stigma is a phenomenon associated with adverse behavioural and psychological consequences. Although experts suggest that its increase during the COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with worse health outcomes for people with obesity, a thorough analysis of the main findings and gaps is still needed when relating to this subject. Objective We aim to answer three questions: (1) How does weight stigma manifest in the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) How can weight stigma affect people with overweight or obesity in times of COVID-19? (3) What are the perceptions and experiences of weight stigma during the pandemic in individuals who experience overweight or obesity? Methods We conducted a scoping review of studies addressing weight stigma and the COVID-19 pandemic in electronic databases (Medline/PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, BVS/Lilacs, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and OpenGrey) published until 10th August 2021. All relevant studies were reviewed in full by two researchers. In addition, a narrative synthesis of the data was performed. Results The results included 35 studies out of 8,090 records and identified 13 original research publications, 14 text and opinion papers, and 6 narrative reviews. The results revealed the presence of weight stigma in the media, healthcare settings, interpersonal relationships, and public campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evidence of increasing weight stigma in the COVID-19 outbreak is limited, though. Many weight discrimination consequences were described during this time, such as impairment in accessing healthcare, worst COVID-19 outcomes, and maladaptive eating. However, only maladaptive behaviours and decline in mental health outcomes were demonstrated empirically in all age groups. This effect occurred regardless of body mass index, but people with high body weight were more likely to experience weight stigma. For some people with obesity, weight stigma in the pandemic has made activities of daily routine difficult. Conclusions The results suggest that weight stigma in the COVID-19 pandemic occurs in several settings; moreover, although weight discrimination impacts mental health, whether before or during the pandemic, this influence between the pandemic and pre-pandemic scenario is still unclear. Therefore, more research is required in this field while the pandemic lasts, especially with people with obesity. Plain English summary Overall, people with overweight or obesity are more vulnerable to weight stigma than individuals without overweight. In addition, weight stigma refers to discrimination or prejudice based on a person’s weight and relates to several consequences, for instance, poor healthcare treatment and mental health problems. In the COVID-19 outbreak, these weight stigma effects tend to become even more critical because they may be associated with unfavourable COVID-19 outcomes and eating disorder risks. Thus, it is crucial to investigate how weight stigma occurs during the pandemic and its impact on health, mainly for the most affected people. We investigated 35 studies published between 2019 and 2021 to map and explore how weight stigma was manifested and the related consequences for people with overweight or obesity in the COVID-19 pandemic. Only about a third of them were quantitative or qualitative, limiting the evidence of weight stigma in the COVID-19 context. The available evidence suggests that weight stigma manifests in several settings such as media, healthcare, public campaigns, and is more common in people with excess weight. However, weight discrimination experiences before or during the pandemic were associated with adverse psychological and behavioural consequences across all age groups, regardless of body weight. For some people with obesity, for instance, weight stigma made it difficult to accomplish their activities of daily routine. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether weight stigma has increased in the pandemic, thus, more studies are required, especially about people with overweight or obesity.

Leonardo Fernandes Nascimento-Doutor em sociologia pelo Instituto de Estudos Sociais e Políticos IESP/UERJ (2013). Especialista em tecnologia aplicada à pesquisa e análise de dados em ciências sociais, especialmente com uso de CAQDAS (Computer Assisted/Aided Qualitative Data Analysis). Atualmente é colaborador no Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Sociais da UFBA (PPGCS/UFBA) e desenvolve pesquisas sobre Sociologia Digital, Big Data Social Science e análise de mídia.