Far-Right Digital Activism in Polarized Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Engagement in Hashtag Wars
Literature on influence operations highlights the coordinated actions of digital activists aimed at persuading audiences. Scholars have discussed many angles of this behavior and emphasized repertoires based on specific contentious actions. However, little is discussed about how these disputes allow...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cogitatio
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Media and Communication |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5622 |
| _version_ | 1797989362114232320 |
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| author | Viktor Chagas Rodrigo Carreiro Nina Santos Guilherme Popolin |
| author_facet | Viktor Chagas Rodrigo Carreiro Nina Santos Guilherme Popolin |
| author_sort | Viktor Chagas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Literature on influence operations highlights the coordinated actions of digital activists aimed at persuading audiences. Scholars have discussed many angles of this behavior and emphasized repertoires based on specific contentious actions. However, little is discussed about how these disputes allow us to apprehend different models of political action in polarized contexts. On a whole, studies have not considered a broader understanding of digital activism performed by supporters of far-right governments. How does the far-right spread its agenda and support the government in “hashtag wars”? What kind of strategies are employed? This study seeks to compare patterns of coordinated behavior in hashtags created by supporters and detractors of the Bolsonaro government in Brazil that occupied the trending topics on Twitter. The statistical analysis is based on 6.1 million tweets taken from 20 political hashtags collected over a three-month period from May to July 2020. Data was scraped using Twitter’s Search API v3.0 for academic use. We analyzed the overall volume and peaks of tweets, the users they engaged with, and their network of influence, as well as the length of each hashtag. The results show an intense use of hashtag activism by Bolsonaro supporters, with users struggling for greater prominence in social media in the face of political events in Brazil. This article sheds light on how the far-right appropriates digital platforms to promote the government’s public image in times of political tension and how it promotes coordinated actions aimed at framing social media audiences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T08:19:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5b44cadf668b4e7faecfae77935bf934 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2439 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T08:19:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Media and Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-5b44cadf668b4e7faecfae77935bf9342022-12-22T04:35:01ZengCogitatioMedia and Communication2183-24392022-10-0110410.17645/mac.v10i4.56222717Far-Right Digital Activism in Polarized Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Engagement in Hashtag WarsViktor Chagas0Rodrigo Carreiro1Nina Santos2Guilherme Popolin3Department of Media and Cultural Studies, Fluminense Federal University, BrazilNational Institute of Science and Technology for Digital Democracy, Federal University of Bahia, BrazilNational Institute of Science and Technology for Digital Democracy, Federal University of Bahia, BrazilCommunication Graduate Program, Fluminense Federal University, BrazilLiterature on influence operations highlights the coordinated actions of digital activists aimed at persuading audiences. Scholars have discussed many angles of this behavior and emphasized repertoires based on specific contentious actions. However, little is discussed about how these disputes allow us to apprehend different models of political action in polarized contexts. On a whole, studies have not considered a broader understanding of digital activism performed by supporters of far-right governments. How does the far-right spread its agenda and support the government in “hashtag wars”? What kind of strategies are employed? This study seeks to compare patterns of coordinated behavior in hashtags created by supporters and detractors of the Bolsonaro government in Brazil that occupied the trending topics on Twitter. The statistical analysis is based on 6.1 million tweets taken from 20 political hashtags collected over a three-month period from May to July 2020. Data was scraped using Twitter’s Search API v3.0 for academic use. We analyzed the overall volume and peaks of tweets, the users they engaged with, and their network of influence, as well as the length of each hashtag. The results show an intense use of hashtag activism by Bolsonaro supporters, with users struggling for greater prominence in social media in the face of political events in Brazil. This article sheds light on how the far-right appropriates digital platforms to promote the government’s public image in times of political tension and how it promotes coordinated actions aimed at framing social media audiences.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5622astroturfingdigital activismfar-rightshashtag warsjair bolsonaropolitical polarization |
| spellingShingle | Viktor Chagas Rodrigo Carreiro Nina Santos Guilherme Popolin Far-Right Digital Activism in Polarized Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Engagement in Hashtag Wars Media and Communication astroturfing digital activism far-rights hashtag wars jair bolsonaro political polarization |
| title | Far-Right Digital Activism in Polarized Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Engagement in Hashtag Wars |
| title_full | Far-Right Digital Activism in Polarized Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Engagement in Hashtag Wars |
| title_fullStr | Far-Right Digital Activism in Polarized Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Engagement in Hashtag Wars |
| title_full_unstemmed | Far-Right Digital Activism in Polarized Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Engagement in Hashtag Wars |
| title_short | Far-Right Digital Activism in Polarized Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Engagement in Hashtag Wars |
| title_sort | far right digital activism in polarized contexts a comparative analysis of engagement in hashtag wars |
| topic | astroturfing digital activism far-rights hashtag wars jair bolsonaro political polarization |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5622 |
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