Are young people more politically assertive in Brazil? A political culture analysis

Abstract

Almost 80 million of Brazilians are connected in some way through the internet and social networks. The digital media has increased the visibility of groups that traditionally have been forgotten, as is the case of the youth. While for some the use of these technologies should be commemorated, for others doubts exist related to the possibility of these technologies generate social changes producing a new youth´s political culture. In Brazil, the use of internet reflects the many contradictions and complexities of a society in which there is an asymmetry between economic development and social inequalities. This article examines the influence of the use of the NTIC´s in the structuring of the Brazilian political culture. We utilized data from a probabilistic survey research conducted in three cities in the South of Brazil (Porto Alegre, Florianopolis and Curitiba) in 2015 and 2016. The results suggest that the NTIC´s have not yet become strong agents of political socialization.