Atores políticos e crises entre a visibilidade e a vigilância do palco midiático digital : uma análise dos eventos protagonizados pelo prefeito cover de Elvis e o candidato coach

Abstract

This study aims to contribute to academic research on risks and crises within the realm of political communication. The objective is to reflect on how the dynamics of visibility and surveillance affecting political actors in the digital media environment relate to crises within the context of democracy. In search of clues to possible answers, we analyzed the phone call between the mayor of the Brazilian city of Farroupilha, Fabiano Feltrin, and Minister Paulo Pimenta, as well as the chair-throwing incident involving the candidate for mayor of São Paulo, Pablo Marçal, and his opponent, José Luiz Datena. From the epistemological perspective of the Paradigm of Complexity (Morin, 2011) and Depth Hermeneutics (Thompson, 1995), combined with the Pragmatics of Communication (Watzlawick, Beavin & Jackson, 1985) and central concepts such as incommunication (Wolton, 2023), the theoretical framework explores reflections on the social, political, and technological metamorphoses (Beck, 2018) that reshape communicational perspectives within the public sphere (Habermas, 2023); political crises and scandals arising from media-driven visibility and surveillance (Thompson, 2002) in the context of democracy (Castells, 2018); political actors and their representations in both political (Hobbes, 2003; Pitkin, 2006) and theatrical terms (Balandier, 1982; Goffman, 1985); and possible dimensions of care (Tronto, 2007; Brugère, 2023). As results, we highlight that the dynamics of visibility and surveillance affecting political actors on the digital media stage—combined with the boomerang effect (Morin, 2011) inherent in this performance, which generates and fuels ruptures of representation (Goffman, 1985), scandals, and controversies (Thompson, 2002; Ekström & Johansson, 2008; Cabás, 2011)—constitute a recursive relationship (Morin, 2011) where everything is both cause and effect, within a feedback loop (Watzlawick, Beavin; Jackson, 1985). This loop not only deepens the discrediting of political actions but also erodes trust in democracy itself (Castells, 2018).