Journalist-Twitterers as Political Influencers in Brazil: Narratives and Disputes Towards a New Intermediary Model

Abstract

The ascendency of Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency of Brazil in 2018 put the role of traditional media companies and journalists under the spotlight. Bad news or opinions against his government have been officially treated as fake, inaccurate, or false information. In this context, data show a decrease in news trust and growing news consumption through platforms. According to the 2021 Reuters Institute report on news trust, only 21% of Brazilians trust the press as an institution, with 71% using social media platforms to be informed. As part of a broad and complex crisis of the traditional intermediary model, several journalists appeared in the Brazilian public sphere as influencers on social media platforms such as Twitter. Based on a qualitative perspective, this article aims to research the role of journalists as political influencers and their use of Twitter to express their voices. A sample of 10 journalists with more than 10,000 followers on Twitter, five working for traditional media and five from native digital media, were interviewed in depth. We realized that they use their digital capital in two political directions. On the one hand, as part of a digital strategy promoted by media outlets to gain attention and call the audience, journalists share their spots and comments on daily issues. On the other hand, in a polarized political context, journalists have found Twitter a means to express their voices in a context of increasing violence and restrictions on free expression among this collective.

Political Influencers on Social Media: An Introduction

“…When contemplating which actors fall into the definitional purview, political influencers can include (1) politicians who act as influencers on social media (de Gregorio & Goanta, 2022; Esteve Del Valle & Borge Bravo, 2018; Gandini et al, 2022), (2) political influencers who act as opinion leaders (de Gregorio & Goanta, 2022), (3) influencers who become politicians (de Gregorio & Goanta, 2022), as well as (4) journalists who act as political influencers (Peres-Neto, 2022; Schwemmer & Ziewiecki, 2018). Some researchers have distinguished influencers based on the size of their following, by drawing up categories such as “nano,” “micro,” “mid-tier,” or “mid-level,” “mega,” and “macro” (Childers & Boatwright, 2021; Duffy, 2020; Goanta & de Gregorio, 2021).…”

“…Communication scholars have primarily explored influencers through the conceptual prism of opinion leadership (Casero-Ripollés, 2020; Childers & Boatwright, 2021; Dubois & Gaffney, 2014; Esteve Del Valle & Borge Bravo, 2018; Peres-Neto, 2022; Schmuck et al, 2022). Building on the classic theories of the two-step flow of communication and of opinion leaders (Katz, 1957; Katz & Lazarsfeld, 1955), influencers are often understood as similar to opinion leaders who exert influence over the opinion of others by relaying information, and who act as powerful intermediaries between audiences and the primary emitters of information (in classic models, the primary emitters have been media, though influencer economies and contemporary media ecologies have shifted toward a potential variety of primary emitters).…”

“…However, the boundaries around who counts as a political influencer are nebulous. Some have described journalists as political influencers when they post opinionated takes on political questions on social media (Peres-Neto, 2022; Schwemmer & Ziewiecki, 2018). Others have described politicians who are particularly savvy on social media as political influencers (de Gregorio & Goanta, 2022).…”

Representing “The People”: What Can Social Media Images Reveal About Populist Propaganda in Brazil?

“…One reason for this is the composition of its user base, which includes prominent figures such as other politicians, journalists, activists, and political groups (Belotti et al, 2021). While less than 10% of Brazilians are on this platform (Kemp, 2022), Brazilian journalists rely heavily on Twitter for their profession (Peres-Neto, 2022). Twitter’s function as the preeminent platform for journalists has been documented both in Brazil (Fraga, 2012) and in other democracies around the world (Rauchfleisch et al, 2017; Verweij & Van Noort, 2014).…”

Divide et Impera? Populist Digital Anti-media Criticisms

“…But the connections regarding the use of social media and its relationship with journalists from traditional media to the Brazilian go beyond merely being a parallel of "Trumpism." [16].…”