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Favela Digital Activism: The Use of Social Media to Fight Oppression and Injustice in Brazil

A book chapter by Andrea Medrado, Taynara Cabral and Renata Souza, published by Digital Activism, Community Media, and Sustainable Communication in Latin America

In this chapter, we analyze the role of favela digital activism as a tool to fight against oppression, injustice, and human rights violations in Rio de Janeiro. By studying “favela digital activism”, we refer to residents’ “us by us” philosophy in which they can become the narrators of their own stories. The methodological approaches are inspired by digital anthropology. We conducted the research in two stages, with netnographic observations in the first phase and offline ethnographic observations and interviews in the second phase. In order to offer an in-depth exploration of one successful initiative, we analyze the case study of a Facebook page called Maré Vive, created by residents of Maré, a large network of favelas in Rio de Janeiro. We argue that favela digital activism represents a distinctive urban media phenomenon, providing residents with tools for everyday survival in a context of conflict and social inequality.

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Photo by Rafaela Biazi on Unsplash 

Andrea Medrado

About

Andrea Medrado is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Media and Communication of the University of Westminster. She is also the Course Leader for the BA Digital Media and the leader for the Cultural Identities and Social Change theme at the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI). Her research focuses on digital media activism and artivism as tools for social change in the Global South and on creative and participatory approaches to analysing marginalised communities’ information security needs and everyday engagements with artificial intelligence (AI). Her book Media Activism, Artivism and the Fight Against Marginalisation in the Global South was published by Routledge in 2023. She has also published in leading academic journals and contributed to several edited book collections. Andrea is currently the Vice President of IAMCR, the largest international association in the field of media and communication.

Details

Date
5 August 2020
Research Area
Published By
Digital Activism, Community Media, and Sustainable Communication in Latin America
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CAMRI | Favela Digital Activism: The Use of Social Media to Fight Oppression and Injustice in Brazil - CAMRI
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