Social Movements Organized Built on Social Media Platforms in Brazil: A Study of How Traditional Media Embraced These Novel Forms of Connection and Community

Abstract

The political turmoil unleashed in recent years has influenced how people interact and organize themselves. Social media platforms played an important role in the organization of these movements that spilled across the globe. In a scenario of political turmoil, Brazil is suffering from an economic downturn and a lack of political leadership in recent years that made an unprecedented crisis. Influenced by these social dynamics of the platforms, three social movements emerged in this period, June Journeys, diesel crisis, and panelaço, and have influenced in traditional news media agenda. These movements represent evolving power dynamics in society, attempting to replace a dominant belief system that legitimizes the status quo by supporting collective action for change. This study, under the lens of sociology and social media theory, examines the evolution of these movements using data gathered from Google News API. Preliminary results indicate that there is a strong critique about some of these movements by traditional news media as they are challenging pre-existing power relationships. However, the promises to break from the constraints of traditional media and embrace novel forms of connection and community are yet limited. This study concludes with an agenda for future research.