Social Media and (Urban) Social Protest: The Brazilian Experience

Social Media and (Urban) Social Protest

The Brazilian ExperienceThe Brazilian Experience

Anita Breuer

Email: [email protected]

Prepared for presentation at the International Conference Culture, Economy, Participation and Governance in Latin American Cities, Zentrum für

Demokratie (zda), Aarau, 21 – 22 February 2014

Implications of Social Media for Political Participation

„Cyber Optimism“……

� Social Media as powerful weapons for social movements (e.g. Shirky

2011)

� Digital activists as choreographers of social protest

� Creation of new urban subcultures

© German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)

� Creation of new urban subcultures

� reappropriation of public space (Gerbaudo 2012)

vs. „Cyber Skepticism“

� Cyberspace is detached from physical reality

� Slacktivism is unlikely to produce policy change (e.g. Morozov 2011)

2

Campanha Ficha Limpa (clean record)

� Citizen Initiative

launched in April 2008 by the Brazilian Movement for the Combat of

Corruption (MCCE)

� Core demand:

Ineligibility to run for office for people previously convicted or facing

© German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) 3

Ineligibility to run for office for people previously convicted or facing

charges for “serious crimes” (vote buying, electoral fraud,

misappropriation of public funds etc.)

� Formal requirements:

1.3 Mio signatures

approval by majority vote of both

chambers of Congress

Ficha Limpa and Social Media

� 43.000 followers on Facebook

� 11.000 followers on Twitter

� 66.000 downloads for most watched video on YouTube


� 66.000 downloads for most watched video on YouTube

� 5.000 followers on Orkut

� 2 Mio Signatures in Online Petition by AVAAZ

� 40.000 Participants in e-mail and Telephone Protest by AVAAZ

Interaction between Social Media &Traditional Media

April – May 2010: Major media-reported campaign events and

related peaks in Facebook activity


Ficha Limpa: A virtual movement with an urban base

7.9 %

8.9 %

> 1 Mio 500.000 - 999.999 < 500.000

Share of Facebook Fans by City Population Size Facebook Fans by origin: Top 10

Inhabitants:


83.1 %

Ficha Limpa: A movement structured by social background

Network Analysis of the Facebook Group „Campanha Ficha Limpa do MCCE“ using Netvizz and Gephi

� 1 circle (node) = 1 Facebook user / Bigger circles = users with more influence in the network

� Clusters = nodes that are more densely connected together than with the rest of the network.


Ficha Limpa: a mostly „virtual“ movement

Patterns of participation in the Ficha Limpa campaign(Websurvey / 1.800 respondents)


Impact of the Ficha Limpa campaign

Macro-Level (Policy Change)

Bill approved and promulgated as law in June

2010

Meso-Level (Organizational Actors)

Increased cost-effectiveness and –efficiency of

MCCE as social movement organisation


Our budget has always been tight. We didn’t have funds to pay for expensive

media advertising campaigns […] Social

media provided an alternative that enabled us to speak directly to the people

without the necessity to pay for publicity. (Marlon Reis, MCCE Director)

Ficha Limpa: Sustainable use of social media

Lessons learned from the 2010/11 campaign

�Professionalization of communication strategy of the MCCE

�Continued use of social media platforms for campaigning / mobilization purposes


The 2013 Protests

Wave of street protests

� Triggered by a proposed increase in bus fares in

June 2013

� approx. 1.4 mio participants in 100 Brazilian

cities


Core demands / concerns

� Increasing cost of public transportation

� Inadequate provision of social services

� Government corruption

� Exorbitant spending on preparations for the

2014 FIFAWorld Cup

� Socially conservative legislation

11

The role of Twitter in orchestrating the 2013 protests

Most successful hashtags : � #ogiganteacordou (the giant woke up)

� #vemprarua (come to the streets)

�#mudaBrasil (change Brazil)

�#copapraquem (cup for whom)

Analysis of Twitter communications about the protests :

�1,579,824 tweets between 1st and 22nd June


�1,579,824 tweets between 1st and 22nd June

�peak of 96,5 tweets/hour recorded on 17th June 2013 at 8:00 pm when protesters invaded

the Brazilian Congress.

Source: The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jul/04/brazilian-protesters-twitter-microsoft

The 2013 Protests: An urban based movement

woke upInvolvement of Brazilians on Twitter mapped by Brandviewer (hashtag analyzer tool).

Red = regions with the highest number of hashtags related to the movement


Source: www.collaborativeconsumption.com

2013 Protests: a virtual AND physical movment

City Number of street protesters

Rio de Janeiro 10.000

Salvador 3.000

São Paulo 2.000

Recife 2.000

Brasilia 1.300

Participation in urban street protests (9 July 2013)


Brasilia 1.300

Fortaleza 600

Belo Horizonte 600

Londrina 500

Porto Alegre 450

Curitiba 200

Source: Globo.com http://g1.globo.com/brasil/protestos-2013/infografico/platb/

According to representative polls 72% of Brazilians supported the movement online and 10%

participated in street protests.

Impact of the 2013 Protests

Demand Status

Reduction of public transportation costs

(4 municipal governments)

Revocation of Bill (PEC 37) limiting the

powers of the Public Ministry to investigate

criminal activities in the government

Destination of petroleum royalties to

Macro Level (Policy Change)

a volatile and incoherent……..

�Depicted as “chaotic” and “leaderless” revolt

�Heavy media focus on violence and vandalism

…..or organized and sustainable movement?

Meso Level (Organizational Actors)

Ambivalent


Destination of petroleum royalties to

Education (75%) and Health (25%)

National Pact to improve Education, Health,

Public Transport (Government announced)

National Plan to increase GDP spending on

Education to 7% until 2015

(Government announced)

Revocation of "Gay cure" Bill (PDL 234)

authorizing sexual orientation conversion

therapy by psychologists

…..or organized and sustainable movement?

Core Civil Society Groups involved:

�Movimento Passo Livre

�Movimento Contra Corrupção

�Civil society groups demanding improved

quality of Education and Health Care

�LGBT rights organizations

Thank you for your attention!

German Development Institute /

Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)


Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)

Tulpenfeld 6

D-53113 Bonn

Telephone: +49 (0)228-949 27-0

E-Mail: [email protected]

www.die-gdi.de

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