STUDENT ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL NETWORKS: Mobilization dynamics in the 2013 protests

Guimarães, Vinicius Oliveira Seabra; Groppo, Luís Antonio; Silva, Gislene da; Borges, Lívia Furtado

doi:10.1590/1809-58442025127pt

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Article • Intercom, Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Comun. 48 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-58442025127en linkcopy

STUDENT ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL NETWORKS: Mobilization dynamics in the 2013 protests

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

This article reports the partial results of the research project “Educational Dimensions of the 2013 Protests in Brazil,” focusing on a literature review of the use of conventional and new information and communication technologies in this cycle of protests. It analyzes the role of digital social networks in the mobilizations, highlighting student activism and the reconfiguration of public space. Based on 28 academic publications between 2013 and 2022, it examines how these platforms articulated, expressed, and gave visibility to the 2013 Journeys. In the analytical-interpretative approach, we find four axes: media conflict, network mobilization, symbolic youth protagonism, and crises of representation. These axes explain the constitution of political subjects and the organization of protests. The articulation of these categories proposes an interpretative model that highlights contemporary youth culture, marked by digital mediations, symbolic disputes, and decentralized collective action.

Keywords
youth; social networks; student activism; Journeys of 2013 protests; political mobilization

Year	Authorships	n.
2013	MORAES et al (2013), SILVA (2013), MALINI (2013)	3
2014	ALZAMORA et (2014), RECUERO et al (2014), MOURA (2014)	3
2015	BEÇAK et al (2015), FIDELIS (2015), FERREIRA (2015), JESUS (2015), BEZERRA (2015), ZAGO (2015), SANTOS (2015), SILVA (2015)	8
2016	FERREIRA (2016), ARAÚJO (2016), COSTA (2016), COSTA (2016), FONTANETTO et al (2016), PADOVANI (2016), LEMOS (2016)	7
2017	OLIVEIRA et al (2017), QUEIROZ (2017), GERBAUDO (2017)	3
2018	MELO et al (2018)	1
2019	MACHADO (2019), SUZINA (2019)	2
2022	FACIOLI et al (2022)	1
Total:		28

Author	Main Book	Frequency
GOHN, Maria da Glória	Youth and Political Participation	6
BIMBER, Bruce	Information and American Democracy	2
CHAUI, Marilena	Culture and Democracy: The Competent Discourse and Other Speeches	2
EARL, Jennifer	The dynamics of protest recruitment through an online network	2
MARICATO, Ermínia	The Impasse of Urban Policy in Brazil	2
OLSON, Mancur	The Logic of Collective Action	2
SINGER, André	The Meanings of Lulism	2
SOUSA, Jessé	The Brazilian Underclass	2
TELLES, Vera da Silva	Youth and School: Meanings and Searches	2
TOURAINE, Alain	What Is Democracy?	2
DELEUZE, Gilles	A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia	2
CASTELLS, Manuel	The Network Society	2

Category	Description
Investigated territories	Predominance of studies in Brazilian state capitals, especially São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, and Porto Alegre. Some texts address the phenomenon nationwide; others have a local focus.
Research subjects	Mostly youth and students (secondary and university). Also present are activist collectives, alternative media (e.g., Mídia Ninja), social-network users, journalists, and politicians.
Main analytical categories	Digital social networks; networked activism; youth; mediatization; political subjectivation; discourse and symbolic circulation; hashtags; posters; participation; crisis of representation; public space.
Main conclusions	The protests express a reconfiguration of collective action, marked by youth protagonism and intensive use of networks as spaces of articulation. There is consensus on agenda fluidity, the absence of traditional leadership, and the strength of cultural symbols.

Thematic Axis	Description	Exemplary Texts
Conflict between traditional media and alternative media	Analysis of narrative disputes between mainstream press and alternative media such as Mídia Ninja.	ALZAMORA (2014), JESUS (2015), SUZINA (2015), FONTANETTO (2015)
Social networks as spaces for mobilization	Studies highlighting the role of digital platforms in convening, articulating, and disseminating demonstrations.	RECUERO (2014), ZAGO et al. (2015), CASTELLS (2013)
Youth protagonism and symbolic production	Research focusing on the creative actions of students and young people on networks, through memes, posters, and videos.	WERNECK (2019), FACIOLI (2018), FIDELIS (2015), SANTOS (2015)
Crisis of representation and digital/online deliberation	Works discussing the rejection of formal institutions and the use of networks as arenas for horizontal political deliberation.	MACHADO (2014), SOARES (2019), PADOVANI (2015), NUNES (2014), LEMOS (2014)

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[1] Source: “Educational Dimensions” Research.