Digital media bring countless possibilities for the communication of scientific knowledge, but they also promote attacks and disinformation campaigns that confuse the population about what is or is not based on facts and legitimate research. Organisations with different political and economic interests influence the production of communication about science and mobilize public opinion, acting as “dealers of doubt” in favor of explanations without evidence. Faced with society's growing demand for information, the media coverage of scientific controversies is a key point in the delegitimization of universities, research centers and other knowledge-producing institutions.
Conspiracy theories have always existed, and are associated with alternative explanations of complex phenomena and historical events, which are reduced to plans secretly devised by “powerful groups” and “enemies of society”. Conspiracies occupy a central place in denialism, a practice which involves systematic denial of the knowledge produced and legitimized by institutions such as the scientific community. Denial groups often claim “another kind of science”, rather than an overtly anti-scientific stance. Conspiratorial and denialist campaigns attack the credibility of researchers, experts and scientific popularizers, generating distrust among parts of the population.
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A análise do debate online revela ataques misóginos, racistas, homofóbicos, xingamentos e outras ofensas contra as mulheres, em especial aquelas inseridas no meio político. Outro tema relevante são os direitos sexuais e reprodutivos das mulheres, pois há uma campanha expressa de desinformação coordenada sobre o assunto. Tais narrativas frequentemente apelam para o pânico moral e contribuem para violações de direitos e retrocessos políticos no combate à opressão de gênero.
Based on research on the covid-19 health crisis, climate change, the conspiracy theory of globalism and other controversies, our studies analyze computational and communication strategies in different networked digital platforms. We also seek to map the recommendations of the international scientific community for the development of public policies in this field and to foster evidence-based decision-making.
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Ongoing
Researches
Misinformation and abortion: dispute over narratives about sexual and reproductive rights
With the intensification of the online debate on the regulation of abortion, this project seeks to identify the main disseminators of misinformation, the most active narratives and profiles against sexual and reproductive rights, and the counter-narratives in defense of women's rights.
Online hate speech: development and application of an algorithm to identify attacks against women parliamentarians
The project analyzes the spread of hate speech against female parliamentarians with different ideological positions. Content analysis based on supervised machine learning reveals misogynistic, racist attacks, generic insults and other insults against women in political circles.