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ARTIGOS ORIGINAIS • Dados rev. ciênc. sociais 66 (2) • 2023 • https://doi.org/10.1590/dados.2023.66.2.291   copy

Social Networks and Mobile Instant Messaging Services in the Election of Jair Bolsonaro as President of Brazil in 2018* * We wish to thank Wladimir Gramacho, Patrícia Roccini, Ednaldo Ribeiro, Emerson Cervi, Helcimara Telles, Fernando Lattman-Weltman, Márcia Dias and attendees of the roundtable “Eleições 2020: Perspectivas da Intervenção Midiática como Variável Estratégica”, of the 12th Brazilian Political Science Association Meeting, for their criticisms and comments of previous versions of the article. We are also immensely grateful to the five anonymous reviewers of DADOS for their helpful comments on this article. Remaining problems are our own responsibility.

Redes Sociais e Aplicativos de Troca de Mensagens Instantâneas na Eleição de Jair Bolsonaro como Presidente do Brasil em 2018

Réseaux Sociaux et Applications de Messagerie Instantanée lors de l’Élection de Jair Bolsonaro a la Présidence du Brésil en 2018

Redes Sociales y Aplicaciones de Mensajería Instantánea en la Elección de Jair Bolsonaro como Presidente de Brasil en 2018

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Studies that have used survey data to analyze the reasons behind the Jair Bolsonaro’s presidential victory in 2018 have highlighted factors such as conservative ideology, antipetismo (resentment against the Brazilian Workers’ Party) and populism. In all of them, media variables are treated superficially, as if their role in politics and elections was simply to “deliver a message” to voters. We contest this view that the media played a secondary role in voters’ decisions, emphasizing instead the effects of social networks and mobile instant messaging services. Based on data from the Brazilian Electoral Study, a post-electoral survey, we show that the use of Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube as sources of political information almost doubled the odds of one voting for Bolsonaro. This places them at a level of importance similar to that of other variables, such as anti-pluralist discourse, religious values and right-wing ideology.

social networks; mobile instant messaging services; Brazilian presidential elections; populism; media effects

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