Analysis of the communication of the Web For All Movement on Facebook: reflections on the activities of social movements on the internet

• Grant number: 18/17821-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Communications
• Principal Investigator: Caroline Kraus Luvizotto
• Grantee: Aline Bonholi Barbosa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação (FAAC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

With the Internet and digital media, the forms of communication and consumption of information have changed, no longer being unilateral - a mark of the mass media - becoming more participatory and democratic. Even though in a limited way, considering the problems of access to the network, accessibility, usability and knowledge of the user, the Internet enables participation and interaction among individuals, being a quick, practical and geographic barrier-free form of communication. This online environment has changed the way individuals and social groups manifest their political and social demands. Based on the analysis of the Web for All Movement (MWPT), a social movement that aims to mobilize society for the cause of digital accessibility and for the transformation of the Brazilian web into an inclusive environment for all, this research seeks to reflect on the importance of the internet, in particular, of online social networks, as a communication tool of contemporary social movements. Specifically, it is hoped to: Understand the concept of social movements and what role of online communication for their actions; To understand the historical processes that involve the digital accessibility in Brazil and the trajectory of the Web For All Movement; Describe the MWPT page on Facebook and analyze its publications, seeking to verify its scope and performance and to estimate its potential as a digital environment that relates the social movement to citizens; Indicate communication strategies for a more effective action of social movements on Facebook, based on the MWPT example. The research proposed here is characterized by having a methodological approach as a qualitative-quantitative approach, making use of exploratory, descriptive and content analysis. From this study, we hope to contribute to the reflection on the potentialities and challenges of online environments as participation environments, as well as on the potential of the Internet as a technology that allows the emergence of new practices and social-political actions and the dissemination citizens through the tools available.