South American Expert Roundtable : increasing adaptive governance capacity for coping with unintended side effects of digital transformation

This paper presents the main messages of a South American expert roundtable (ERT) on the unintended side effects (unseens) of digital transformation. The input of the ERT comprised 39 propositions from 20 experts representing 11 different perspectives. The two-day ERT discussed the main drivers and challenges as well as vulnerabilities or unseens and provided suggestions for: (i) the mechanisms underlying major unseens; (ii) understanding possible ways in which rebound effects of digital transformation may become the subject of overarching research in three main categories of impact: development factors, society, and individuals; and (iii) a set of potential action domains for transdisciplinary follow-up processes, including a case study in Brazil. A content analysis of the propositions and related mechanisms provided insights in the genesis of unseens by identifying 15 interrelated causal mechanisms related to critical issues/concerns. Additionally, a cluster analysis (CLA) was applied to structure the challenges and critical developments in South America. The discussion elaborated the genesis, dynamics, and impacts of (groups of) unseens such as the digital divide (that affects most countries that are not included in the development of digital business, management, production, etc. tools) or the challenge of restructuring small- and medium-sized enterprises (whose service is digitally substituted by digital devices). We identify specific issues and effects (for most South American countries) such as lack of governmental structure, challenging geographical structures (e.g., inclusion in high-performance transmission power), or the digital readiness of (wide parts) of society. One scientific contribution of the paper is related to the presented methodology that provides insights into the phenomena, the causal chains underlying “wanted/positive” and “unwanted/negative” effects, and the processes and mechanisms of societal changes caused by digitalization

Talking with and about Politicians on Twitter: An Analysis of Tweets Containing @-mentions of Candidates in the Brazilian Presidential Elections

While Twitter has become an increasingly important platform for public opinion formation, little is known about its use in recent Latin American election campaigns. We therefore investigate the case of the presidential elections in Brazil in October 2014, in order to analyze communication structures in actual and para-social interactions with presidential candidates. In particular, while Twitter makes it easy for ordinary citizens to express their opinion online, it is maybe even more important that they can also address and communicate with persons who would otherwise not be reachable at all. Politicians are probably the most important group in this regard. Based on N = 1,891,657 tweets containing an @mention of a candidate in the Brazilian elections of 2014, we investigate which actual or para-social interactions with the candidates take place. Furthermore, because framing literature suggests that all actors involved in a discussion on social media will try to highlight specific aspects and interpretations of issues and events, we used techniques of co-word analysis to investigate the ways in which the main candidates were framed by the Twitter users. The results give insight into the deliberative potential of Twitter: they show how the candidates are presented to the social media community and thus how this presentation may be reflected in public opinion.While Twitter has become an increasingly important platform for public opinion formation, little is known about its use in recent Latin American election campaigns. We therefore investigate the case of the presidential elections in Brazil in October 2014, in order to analyze communication structures in actual and para-social interactions with presidential candidates. In particular, while Twitter makes it easy for ordinary citizens to express their opinion online, it is maybe even more important that they can also address and communicate with persons who would otherwise not be reachable at all. Politicians are probably the most important group in this regard. Based on N = 1,891,657 tweets containing an @mention of a candidate in the Brazilian elections of 2014, we investigate which actual or para-social interactions with the candidates take place. Furthermore, because framing literature suggests that all actors involved in a discussion on social media will try to highlight specific aspects and interpretations of issues and events, we used techniques of co-word analysis to investigate the ways in which the main candidates were framed by the Twitter users. The results give insight into the deliberative potential of Twitter: they show how the candidates are presented to the social media community and thus how this presentation may be reflected in public opinion

What is the Political Culture for Young Brazilians? The process of political socialization through social networks

In this paper, we sought to analyze if the internet and social networks usage could be impacting the constitution of an assertive political culture among young people in South Brazil. We hypothesize that although these new socialized agents are widespread among the young, apathy and disinterest in politics remain. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed data from a survey conducted with secondary school students from Porto Alegre in 2015 and 2019 for values related to democracy, feelings about politics, responsiveness, and political efficacy. Results confirm that the political culture of the young remains apathetic, but those socialized by new agents seem to be closer to developing an assertive type of political culture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

From commercial marketing to electoral marketing: candidates’ attributes in the perception of Brazilian and American voters

This study investigates attributes that influence the vote in different socioeconomic contexts (Brazil/USA). Our results show an asymmetric effect of candidates’ attributes on voters’ decision. In less developed socioeconomic contexts, voters analyze candidates’ image by satisfying their unconscious will than by making strictly rational choices, which shows a shift of a democratic discourse to an eminently advertising clash. On the other hand, American voters tend to be more judicious regarding the image of their representatives, giving value to elements of the political debate. Such findings can be used to explain election results in both countries under a political marketing perspective.Este estudio investiga la influencia de los atributos en los votos en diferentes contextos socioeconómicos (Brasil / USA). Nuestros resultados muestran un efecto asimétrico de los atributos de los candidatos en los votantes decisión. En contextos socioeconómicos menos desarrollados, los votantes de analizar la imagen de los candidatos por la satisfacción de sus voluntad inconsciente que al tomar decisiones estrictamente racional, que muestra el desplazamiento del discurso democrático a un choque de publicidad eminentemente. Por otro lado, los votantes estadounidenses tendencia a ser más juiciosa En cuanto a la imagen de sus representantes, dando valor a los elementos del debate político. Tales hallazgos pueden ser utilizados para explicar los resultados de las elecciones en ambos países bajo una perspectiva política de marketing

When Anonymous Controlling Professional Media: A Marginal Voice in Press Freedom Country

The emergence of citizen journalism get a skeptical response from professional journalists based on several reasons such as un-institutional, subjective and nonprofessional (O¨rnebring, 2013; Allan, 2009; Moyo, 2009). This study explores how mainstream media play dominant role in producing fact by excluding citizen journalist apart from their system. The object of the study is ‘Discourse’ about the banned of a controversial article1 written by an anonymous2 citizen journalist named Jilbab Hitam (here in after referred to as the ‘JH’)3 in kompasiana.com4. The issues widespread quickly in cyberspace produce pros cons among internet user including professional journalists, NGO, etc. This research employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) on articles and twitter conversations relevant to the issue. The results of the study show how anonymity becomes dominant Discourse submerging other important issue such us media manipulation and media corruption. Negative representation of anonymity – hoax, liar, provocative – might tend to hamper struggling of internet user freedom of expression

Purges of 1964 and anticorruption discourse in the caricature by mainstream press

This article addresses the visual and verbal discourses of mainstream press in the context of the 1964 Brazilian Coup, with an emphasis on the ‘secondary target’ of the purges undertaken by the new regime, namely, corruption. The study analyzes the role played by periodicals – especially caricatures – in building representations that provided the dictatorship with support, mainly regarding the fight against corruption. In order to adequately approach the object, we try to grasp the political aims and discursive manipulations of the players involved, who were often driven by reasons very far from fighting against corruption. Keywords: Caricature; Politics; Dictatorship;Brazil – History – 1964 - 1985

Transparency in Brazil: Why Has it Failed to Curb Corruption?

Transparency has often been hailed as one of the main mechanisms through which corruption can be combated due to the fact that it supposedly increases levels of accountability. In this sense, e-Government would be the platform through which this can be achieved. However, as the author demonstrates, this is a failed assumption since it is not applicable to several national contexts, such as is the case of Brazil. This study therefore aims to reach beyond what has already been done, and demonstrate why investments in transparency have not achieved the desired results by conducting an interpretive piece of research and adopting a multi-case study approach