VoteLGBT: ciberativismo por representação política no Brasil

Abstract

Considering that Brazil’s communication studies field are increasingly attentive to the theoretical-conceptual reflection about cyber-activism - within a general scope of noticeable proliferation of papers -, it is observed, however, that they have little repercussion in investigations on the cyber-activist initiatives that involve political struggles for LGBT rights. In this direction, it is considered how the emergence of cyber-activist initiatives centered on LGBT political representation contributes to the consolidation of the demands of the movement and, consequently, to the deepening of democracy. Considering a cyber-activism definition as referring to the multiple collective and individual subject practices operated in and in distributed digital communication networks that aim at the defense of certain causes to promote changes in society that favor the common experience, resorting to the circulation of ideas and technical possibilities (tools) to engender forms of participation and intervention. In this way, we take as theoretical beacon discussions that gird the history of the LGBT movement, the conceptual notions of cyber-activism as well as of political representation. Based on a qualitative approach and monographic procedure (case study), the objective of this paper is to understand the performance of the #VoteLGBT initiative, developed in the digital communication networks distributed throughout the national elections of 2014 and 2016. To this purpose, based in direct observation, we delineate as samples the sites developed by the initiative in both election periods and the content served on its page on the social networking site Facebook. From indirect observation, the technique of interview with members of the campaign is also used. For the data reading, the descriptive analysis and the content analysis are used. We concluded that the #VoteLGBT initiative adopts as its main communication strategy the use of resources aimed at awareness-raising and (called-to-action) of voters, through content whose meanings reflect the dimension and legitimacy of its guidelines and the debates surrounding them , while at the same time demonstrating the importance of involvement with institutional processes of participation (the elections) and the reflection on the substantive increase of LGBT political representation. Also, it develops and provides digital social tools that help voters and candidates by bringing both civil and political dimensions together in the same environment.