Mots-clés
Disinformation
Social media
Twitter (X)
Framing
Comment citer
Résumé
ABSTRACT – Social media algorithms, designed to maximize user engagement, have inadvertently eased the spread of disinformation. Brazil’s Ministry of Health’s “parallel cabinet”, a group made up of Bolsonaro’s family (the former president Jair Bolsonaro and his sons: a senator, a congressman, and a councilman), governmental officials, politicians, physicians, and digital influencers, framed covid-19 within a disinformation lens. An analysis of 1.143 posts on X/Twitter identified four framings (“Federal Response”, “Early Treatment”, “Anti-lockdown”, and “Slandering”) associated with pivotal domestic events (the virus outbreak, social distancing disputes, the Manaus crisis, and the covid-19 Congressional Inquiry). The Brazilian case offers a valuable lesson: twenty-first-century crises can be exacerbated under far-right governments that promote disinformation on social media; it highlights how political disinformation competes with and weakens journalism’s role as a legitimizing institution in public debate, especially when actors bypass traditional media and frame crises through social media platforms.
RESUMO – Os algoritmos das redes sociais, projetados para maximizar o engajamento dos usuários, facilitaram inadvertidamente a disseminação da desinformação. O “gabinete paralelo” do Ministério da Saúde do Brasil, um grupo formado pela família Bolsonaro (o ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro e seus filhos: um senador, um deputado e um vereador), funcionários governamentais, políticos, médicos e influenciadores digitais, enquadrou a covid-19 por meio de uma lente de desinformação. Uma análise de 1.143 publicações no X (antigo Twitter) identificou quatro enquadramentos (“Resposta Federal”, “Tratamento Precoce”, “Anti-lockdown” e “Difamação”) associados a eventos domésticos importantes (o surto do vírus, disputas sobre o distanciamento social, a crise de Manaus e a Comissão Parlamentar de Inquérito) da covid-19. O caso brasileiro oferece uma lição valiosa: crises do século 21 podem ser exacerbadas sob governos de extrema-direita que promovem a desinformação nas redes sociais; destaca como a desinformação política compete com e enfraquece o papel do jornalismo como instituição legitimadora no debate público, especialmente quando atores ignoram a mídia tradicional e enquadram crises por meio das plataformas de redes sociais.
RESUMEN – Los algoritmos de las redes sociales, diseñados para maximizar la participación de los usuarios, han facilitado inadvertidamente la difusión de desinformación. El “gabinete paralelo” del Ministerio de Salud de Brasil, un grupo conformado por la familia de Bolsonaro (el expresidente Jair Bolsonaro y sus hijos: un senador, un diputado y un concejal), funcionarios gubernamentales, políticos, médicos e influenciadores digitales, enmarcó la covid-19 a través de una lente de desinformación. Un análisis de 1.143 publicaciones en X (anteriormente Twitter) identificó cuatro encuadres (“Respuesta Federal”, “Tratamiento Temprano”, “Anti-confinamiento”, y “Calumnias”) asociados con eventos domésticos clave (el brote del virus, disputas sobre el distanciamiento social, la crisis de Manaos, y la Comisión Parlamentaria de Investigación) de la covid-19. El caso brasileño ofrece una lección valiosa: las crisis del siglo veintiuno pueden exacerbarse bajo gobiernos de extrema derecha que promueven la desinformación en las redes sociales; destaca cómo la desinformación política compite y debilita el papel del periodismo como institución legitimadora en el debate público, especialmente cuando actores evaden los medios tradicionales y enmarcan las crisis a través de plataformas de redes sociales.
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