Research Coordinator at NetLab UFRJ analyzes fraudulent health advertisements at an international conference in Rome.

Photo: NetLab UFRJ

On January 14 and 15, the Research Coordinator of the Laboratory for Internet and Social Media Studies at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (NetLab UFRJ), Carlos Eduardo Barros, presented the paper “Engineering Credibility: How Fraudulent Health Ads Mobilize Users and Exploit Platform Infrastructures on Meta” at the international conference “Beyond the Audience: Rethinking Participation and Power in the Age of Data Capitalism,” held at IULM University in Rome, Italy.

The study, co-authored with Débora G. Salles and Rose M. Santini, examines how fraudulent health advertisements build credibility, mobilize users, and exploit Meta’s platform infrastructures. It contributes to critical debates on power,

participation, and data capitalism in technology-mediated environments.

The international conference gathered researchers from different countries to reflect on the transformations taking place in participation, power, and media dynamics in data-driven societies, with the aim of fostering interdisciplinary discussions on the social, political, and economic impacts of digital platforms.