The influence of social networks on Brazilian electoral behavior

Abstract

The supposed simplicity of inhabiting this world and participating in the electoral process does not actually reflect its complexity and the variety of aspects that can be examined. This becomes even more evident when taking into account the different means of continuous access to different types of information and the different forms of political relations. A relevant aspect concerns understanding the process by which the voter makes the decision to vote, especially when inserted in the games of public and private interests in the context of political communication. Contemporary times, defined by both postmodernism and liquidity, are marked by a predominance of the image, with mass interaction and mediated communication as its essence. From different perspectives, the voter should not be conceived as merely dominated or submissive to this power, equally, the media sphere cannot be seen as a substitute for the public sphere. In this sense, it is worth investigating the role of social networks in shaping opinion and electoral strategies, in addition to investigating how this phenomenon has shaped the behavior of young people and undecided voters. It is observed that the visual and textual emotional triggers present on social networks have significantly impacted voting behavior, with many voters unable to perceive the psychological manipulation promoted by algorithms. Therefore, the general objective of this research is to analyze the influence of social networks on Brazilian electoral behavior. It is from this space, at the intersection between politics and communication, that this research was described, since its purpose focuses on the debate that both unites and rejects interactions between media, political, economic and social powers. To do this, we consider the image approach, mediation by the media, the visible aspect of policies and social relations.