Sao Paulo. Social networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp have become important participants in political debate, able to interfere with elections and contribute to the growth of far-right profiles and pages. For months, former Facebook employees have been claiming that the company knows how to make its platforms more secure, which is not happening because of maximizing profits.

“We are dealing with an environment that is public, but operates according to private rules. It is the platforms that determine the conditions for their use, what can and cannot be distributed there, and, of course, they decide on the basis of their own interests, ”says Professor of the Federal University of Fluminense (UFF) Victor Chagas, Corresponding Member of the National Institute. science and technology in digital democracy (INCT.DD).

Such interests are not always political in nature. a prioribut are associated with economic benefits and end up giving preference to segments that spread hate messages and false news. “Since the goal of platforms is to keep users connected, it’s important that content generates interaction. In this sense, they apply a perverse logic in which some of the content is privileged in relation to coverage and visibility, acting to spread misinformation, ”he added in an interview with Glauco Faria in Brazil’s current newspaper.

Amid the revelations of former employees, it turned out that Facebook researchers conducted a test and found that social network algorithms are capable of radicalizing users with polarized content. The experiment was named Carol’s Journey.

social media and elections

In the US, 50 million people were leaked to political marketing firm Cambridge Analytica through personality tests on social media. The leak contributed to the election of Donald Trump in 2016. In Brazil, election influence came from WhatsApp with the spread of messages.

It is important for the UFF researcher to distinguish between the electoral mechanics and the appropriation of these platforms in a regional context. “In the United States, there was micro-segmentation of data: messages were distributed across user and voter profiles, filtered by the platform itself. Brazil, however, has had electoral dynamics based on WhatsApp, which is a more opaque image and claims to guarantee confidentiality. And in this environment, you face an even greater risk due to the rapid spread of misinformation and hate speech. “

Language and communication are also part of this process. For example, memes have been instrumental in spreading hatred after being used by far-rightists as a strategy in political debate. According to Chagas, the meme has become a weapon for these ultra-conservative groups to enhance certain images.

“Whereas before graphic humor was cartoon, memes flow more fluidly and with greater bandwidth. They have become the language of communication. In the hands of ultra-conservatives, humor is less restrained, meaning racist or homophobic jokes are not a cause for thought. Consequently, their weapons become more destructive. The meme is synthetic and arouses great interest, ”he explained.

Watch the full interview