O ADMIRÁVEL ÓDIO NOVO?: O discurso de ódio nas redes sociais no Brasil durante a pandemia do novo coronavírus e reflexões sobre o ódio como um fenômeno social moderno

Abstract

This research analyzes hate speech in Brazil on Brazilian social networks during the health emergency period caused by the new coronavirus pandemic, which lasted from March 2020 to May 2023, and problematizes its modernity. It uses a genealogical approach to the Brazilian social structure as a resource to discuss its basic categories in light of one of the intersectional theories, leveraging its view on the intersection of identity avenues as a point of production of vulnerabilities and orientation of hate. An interdisciplinary literature review with a qualitative, exploratory, and historical approach is conducted, complemented by the analysis and interpretation of data presented in graphs. To facilitate the weaving of this work, the categories of network society, hate speech, and modernity are articulated, based on the theoretical framework constituted by the works of Byung-Chul Han (2015; 2018; 2022), Judith Butler (2021), Luís Valério Trindade (2022), Michel Foucault (2021), and Rita Segato (2021). Additionally, a literature review was conducted from theses, dissertations, and scientific articles available in online repositories that address the aforementioned categories, as well as their underlying themes, which are eventually mobilized throughout the text. Initially, an intersectional genealogy of Brazilian society is presented using Michel Foucault's method (2021), exploring the existence of hate and its expressions in historical chapters, concluding that it is a phenomenon woven into the social fabric of our country since its foundation.Continuing the research and grounding the analysis in the present time, the increase in the occurrence of hate speech on Brazilian social networks is discussed based on data provided by the Safernet association, reflecting on this growth and its potential reasons, the sociopolitical context, and its implications. Finally, this dysfunction is problematized as an essentially modern issue, considering the formation of Brazilian society, the everyday nature of hate, and conjecturing about its possible overcoming. The final findings corroborate the initial hypothesis of this research, concluding that hate speech is not an essentially modern phenomenon, being persistently present in various historical moments, varying in its perpetuation due to the advent of new communication and information technologies, as well as sophisticating the language used.