WhatsApp and political instability in Brazil: targeted messages and political radicalisation

Evangelista, Rafael; Bruno, Fernanda

doi:10.14763/2019.4.1434

Cited by 57 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…One of the workarounds of the alternative health channels is using other social media platforms, such as Telegram or WhatsApp, to ensure the content circulation and the perception of community in and out of YouTube. WhatsApp is one of the most popular information resources for Brazilians (Deloitte, 2019), and it has favored the spread of health and political misinformation in the last years (Smallman, 2018;Evangelista and Bruno, 2019;Resende et al, 2019). In addition to enabling constant interactions with community members, these WhatsApp and Telegram groups encourage the sharing of audience testimonials, which are used in new videos aiming to demonstrate the effectiveness of alternative therapies and courses promoted by the channels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Stings: Selling Distrust About Vaccines on Brazilian YouTube

2020

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In this study, we investigate misinformation and disinformation (M&D) about vaccines using a case study approach to understand how M&D about vaccines circulate on YouTube in Portuguese, and who are the channels creating and disseminating this kind of content. The World Health Organization considered vaccine hesitation as one of the greatest threats to global health in 2019. Researchers associated this hesitation to a strengthening of the anti-vaccination movements, suggesting that social media is currently the main spreader of this position. YouTube increasingly becomes a matter of concern, since its recommendation system is identified as a promoter of misinformation and extreme content. Despite YouTube's statements, M&D about vaccines continue to be disseminated in videos in Portuguese, reaching a large audience. We found 52 videos containing M&D about vaccines. The main M&D were the claim of dangerous ingredients in vaccines, the defense of self-direction-freedom of choice, independent research-, the promotion of alternative health services, the myth that vaccines cause diseases, conspiracy theories, and the allegation of vaccine's severe collateral effects. We identified 39 brands advertising on 13 videos of our M&D sample. Although the YouTube Partner Program is an important source of income, the channels use different economic strategies, such as the selling of courses, and therapies and the use of fundraising platforms. We also found that alternative health channels spread distrust about traditional institutions to promote themselves as trusted sources for the audience and thereby profit with alternative health services.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Stings: Selling Distrust About Vaccines on Brazilian YouTube

2020

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“…Memes, emojis, and images were at the center of the discursive battle to build pro-Bolsonaro interpretive frameworks. His campaign, as Evangelista and Bruno (2019: 17) noted, used social media “to exacerbate political feelings [already] present in the political debate.”…”

Section: Case Study and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Populism as Parody: The Visual Self-Presentation of Jair Bolsonaro on Instagram

Mendonça

Caetano

2020

The International Journal of Press/Politics

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This study analyzes the visual self-representation of current Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is considered to be one of the exponents of the recent rise of rightwing neopopulism. Despite the growing body of literature analyzing contemporary populism, little has been said about the deployment of images in the construction of public meanings relevant to popular understandings of populist leaders. This research draws from the social media analysis of Casullo to investigate how the images posted on Bolsonaro’s Instagram account show him (1) as a mirror of the people, (2) someone extraordinary, and (3) quick to appropriate symbols of power. Referencing the work of Butler, we document how the visual self-representation of Bolsonaro is marked by eccentricity and unsophistication, which makes his demeanor, body, and appropriation of institutional power function as a series of parodies. His performance hyperbolizes the transgressive aspect of populism, producing a vertiginous and pleasurable ambiguity toward the figure of the leader. In emptying the presidency from its extraordinary dimension, the parody paradoxically does something extraordinary by reestablishing the distance that it seeks to eliminate. His eccentric rejection of basic social standards, over-the-top masculinity, and impromptu use of everyday objects as props work to construct an image that he is just an ordinary man, extraordinarily occupying the presidency.

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“…Even in the absence of a negative economic environment, intense electoral and political competition can foster the conditions in which the kind of rumors that increase collective violence can emerge (Bagozzi 1977;Farooq 2018). In contexts of high electoral competition, parties face incentives to create WhatsApp groups to mobilize voters (Cheeseman et al 2020;Farooq 2018;Moura and Michelson 2017) and to circulate outrageous information through them to benefit from the emotional effects that polarization can generate (Evangelista and Bruno 2019;Farooq 2018;Iyengar and Massey 2019;Marcus, Neuman, and MacKuen 2000). To the extent that this information can include violenceinducing rumors, electoral polarization can lead to dreadful acts of collective violence (Ward 2020).…”

Section: The Dissemination Of Rumorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Political Psychology of Lynching: WhatsApp Rumors, Anti-Government Appeals, and Violence

Zizumbo-Colunga

Fuerte-Celis

2020

Preprint

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Across the world, violence-inducing rumors about crime have triggered spectacular displays of violence. We argue that, in addition to other components, appeals to the untrustworthiness of government authorities constitute a central component of the DNA of violence-inducing rumors. Indeed, a component that allows those circulating rumors to persuade individuals of their credibility and importance. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an original laboratory experiment among students in a rural community in Mexico. We find evidence that appeals to the untrustworthiness of government increase citizens' perceptions of the credibility, importance and shareability of the message. Further, we find individuals perceiving rumors as more credible, important, and sharable to be more likely to incite others to commit violence against alleged criminals when given a chance. The results of this study have broad implications for our understanding of the psychology of rumor sharing and the emergence of extralegal violence.

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WhatsApp and political instability in Brazil: targeted messages and political radicalisation

Cited by 57 publications

References 17 publications

Natural Stings: Selling Distrust About Vaccines on Brazilian YouTube

Natural Stings: Selling Distrust About Vaccines on Brazilian YouTube

Populism as Parody: The Visual Self-Presentation of Jair Bolsonaro on Instagram

The Political Psychology of Lynching: WhatsApp Rumors, Anti-Government Appeals, and Violence

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