Social Networks, Politics, and Disinformation: An Analysis of the Circulation of Fake News among Brazilian University Students
Social Networks, Politics, and Disinformation: An Analysis of the Circulation of Fake News among Brazilian University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51473/rcmos.v1i2.2025.1726Keywords:
misinformation, fake news, conspiracy theories, university students, social networksAbstract
This article examines the circulation of fake news among Brazilian university students, considering the role of social networks, political polarization, and contemporary dynamics of disinformation. Although they have higher levels of education and broad access to information, students are also exposed to algorithms that reinforce digital echo chambers and to the emotional appeal of conspiracy theories. The study adopts an exploratory-descriptive approach, combining a literature review with a survey conducted through snowball sampling. The questionnaire investigated informational habits, exposure to false content, self-reported sharing of misleading news, and adherence to conspiracy narratives. The results indicate strong dependence on social networks as a primary source of news, distrust of traditional media, and the influence of factors such as political positioning and religiosity on the propensity to believe or disseminate disinformation. The study highlights the need to strengthen media literacy and critical information skills to confront disinformation within the university environment.
Downloads
References
ADORNO, THEODOR; HORKHEIMER, MAX. Dialética do esclarecimento. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 1985.
BONAVIDES, PAULO. Teoria do Estado. 6. ed. São Paulo: Malheiros, 2001.
BUCKINGHAM, DAVID. Educação para mídia: alfabetização, aprendizagem e cultura contemporânea. Porto Alegre: Penso, 2015.
CASTELLS, MANUEL. A sociedade em rede. 17. ed. São Paulo: Paz e Terra, 2013.
DA EMPOLI, GIULIANO. Os engenheiros do caos. São Paulo: Vestígio, 2019.
HORKHEIMER, MAX; ADORNO, THEODOR. Indústria cultural e sociedade. São Paulo: Paz e Terra, 1985.
LÉVY, PIERRE. Cibercultura. São Paulo: Editora 34, 1999.
MILLS, CHARLES WRIGHT. A elite do poder. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 1981.
PINHEIRO, CARLOS EDUARDO; BRITO, MARCELO. Desinformação e poder: a política da mentira na era digital. Brasília: IPEA, 2015.
TERENZI, MARCELO. Populismo digital: narrativas, emoções e conflitos políticos. São Paulo: Alameda, 2021.
WAINBERG, JACQUES. Teorias da conspiração na era da informação. Porto Alegre: Sulina, 2018.
WARDLE, CLAIRE; DERAKHSHAN, HOSSEIN. Information disorder: toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2017.
CHAUÍ, MARILENA. Cultura e democracia. São Paulo: Moderna, 1980.
VINUTO, JULIANA. A amostragem em bola de neve na pesquisa qualitativa: uma técnica para o estudo de populações específicas. Revista Eletrônica de Metodologia e Pesquisa, v. 22, n. 1, p. 1–10, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20396/tematicas.v22i44.10977
DADOS DA PESQUISA. Depósito de dados da pesquisa. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1767440
. Acesso em: 2025.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Carlos Henrique Vale de Paiva (Autor)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means you are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
The use of this material is conditioned upon proper attribution to the original author(s), providing a link to the license, and indicating if changes were made. The license does not require permission from the author or the publisher as long as these conditions are met.
The Creative Commons license logo is displayed permanently in the footer of the journal.
The copyright of the manuscript can be retained by the authors without restrictions and can be requested at any time, even after publication in the journal.
