Digital Activism and Indignation Nets in Brazil: The Pressure Groups

Abstract

To understand the relevance of the new media in the formation of the indignation nets, this text, of exploratory stamp, debates the digital activism in contemporary Brazil . Methodologically, we will make a discussion on cyberactivism, digital media, and national pressure groups starting from two examples, Movimento Brasil Livre (The Free Brazil Movement) and Vem pra Rua (Come to The Street movement) – these are key movements in the organisation of the big anti-government mobilisation that took place in 2015–2016 in Brazil. The theme is important because it embraces current and future challenges of the digital activism, once that this field faced significant changes in the last decades, with the development of interactive media and the technological convergence.

The foundations of Bolsonaro's support: Exploring the psychological underpinnings of political polarization in Brazil

“…Consequently, the generalizability of the findings to less affluent populations and those who are less engaged with online communities may be limited. However, it should be noted that use of digital media and 'cyberactivism' were major features of the political upheaval prior to the 2018 Presidential Election in Brazil (Cavalcanti et al, 2019) so online recruitment offers the potential to reach participants with strong feelings on either side of the polarized debates.…”

“…226–227). According to Bringel (2016), recent polarization in Brazil was initially stimulated by a series of political mobilizations that began in June 2013 and led to the establishment, facilitated by use of digital media and cyberactivism (Cavalcanti, Bringel, Jardelino da Costa, Moura de Oliveira, & Zuccolotto, 2019), of various national pressure groups such as the Movimento Brasil Livre (Free Brazil Movement) and Vem Pra Rua (Come to the Street Movement).…”

Like, Share, and React: Twitter Capture for Research and Corporate Decisions

“…The first, a positive perspective, is that it reduces the cost of communication, increases the speed of information, and eliminates physical distance. However, the negative perspective is that social media impoverish political debate through empty discussions (predominantly simplification), the use of fake news as a strategy to reiterate ideologies, and the loss of privacy in cyberspace (Cavalcanti et al, 2019).…”

“…In addition, social media and digital communication significantly expand the participation of various actors in collective action. In this context, social media has been highlighted by researchers and managers, in particular, for imposing pressure for quick responses and its impact on the performance of organizations (Cavalcanti et al, 2019;Ghardallou, 2021;George & Leidner, 2019;Gomez-Carrasco & Michelon, 2017;Lewis, 2005;Luo et al, 2016;Van Dijck & Poell, 2013).…”

Brazil’s Digital Politics and the Crisis of Democracy (2013-2018)

“…That said, the causal mechanisms of polarization and antipartisanship were incipient at the time of the protests. Polarization started with the use of mainly Facebook and Twitter to mobilize citizens to protest, which at the time was an innovation in the history of social movements in Brazil [44]. Antipartisanship started in 2013 with the shift of focus of these protests from demand for better public services to anti-petismo (anti-Workers Party) [45].…”