DIGITAL SOCIAL NETWORKS AS A SPACE FOR DEBATE ON THE LGBT+ PARADE IN SÃO PAULO

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to develop the Network Analysis for Social Media of the interactions on Twitter/X during the LGBT+ Parade in São Paulo, in 2023, of the network actors who used the official hashtag of the event's organization. The theoretical-methodological support to support the analysis of the data and discussion of the results was focused on the theoretical study of networks (Castells, 2013; Recuero, Bastos and Zago, 2018) of mediatization processes (Braga, 2006) and media propagation (Jenkins, Green and Ford, 2014). Based on the data collected and the basis of the research, it was also sought to understand how the flow of communication in a network can provide a reaction in society that motivates more freedom to groups that have historically been violated. Data collection was carried out with the Gephi software, from which the metrics and graph visualization were generated, allowing the analysis of this research. With the results, it was possible to observe that the claims and celebrations could be heard and disseminated organically and massively, from the perspective of mass self-communication, by Castells (2013). The users who criticized the mobilization were tiny to the point of being irrelevant on the network and did not interfere in the digital mobilization. Some brands also proved to be relevant on the network, showing a positioning consistent with the objectives of the event.