Os eventuais impactos das redes sociais na qualidade democrática: estudo de caso sobre o escândalo de dados Facebook/ Cambridge Analytica

Abstract

Social networks compose a virtual universe that enables interaction between groups, either through messages or content sharing. They are a great relationship channel for companies and political parties to get closer to their audience. Thus, this undergraduate thesis aims to present an analysis of the use of Facebook as a political strategy tool and the potential effects on democratic quality, through the case study of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica data scandal in the United States presidential elections and in the British referendum in 2016. For this purpose, was undertaken: the contextualization of virtual social networks, as well as their position in the democratic debate and political utility; presentation of those involved and the expose that led to the scandal of data for political purposes; investigation of the role of Cambridge Analytica in the 2016 United States elections and the Brexit Referendum in the United Kingdom, and analysis of the effects of using electoral microtargeting. Through the bibliographic survey and the case study, it was observed that Facebook, as a political tool, impacts the democratic quality by hindering the exercise of citizenship through the manipulation of public debate.