As fake news como um problema problema público no Brasil: entre o tecnopopulismo e a criminalização do fenômeno

Abstract

This research analyzes how the phenomenon of fake news became a public issue in Brazil, based on the events constructed between 2019 and April 2023 to curb the dissemination of false content, particularly in response to the experience of the 2018 presidential elections. The theoretical framework employed in this study aims to examine the publics formed around this phenomenon and their political processes. The research findings highlight fake news as a distinct digital species, materialized through technological apparatuses embedded in digital platforms, featuring deceptive content designed to generate connective actions and social group engagement. In response to this phenomenon, Brazil has witnessed the formation of a State Public Arena, characterized by institutional demands and responses aimed at combating fake news and institutionalizing it as a public issue within a context of political polarization and the increasing political use of digital platforms.