Youth and Politics: The Use of ICTs and the New Political Activism in Brazil

  • Maria Francisca Pinheiro Coelho
  • Ana Cristina Murta Collares
Chapter
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Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are becoming more accessible and widespread, but a considerable portion of the world’s population still has little access to them, and when it does, there are other gaps to be filled—digital literacy being the most relevant one. This chapter analyzes a social and political movement, which took place in Brazil in 2013, known as The June Journeys, as it presents an important instance of ICTs being used to empower society, especially among the youth striving for social change. The Journeys bear a resemblance to movements such as Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring, and the Indignados in Spain. Data from a local survey with university students illustrates the discussion, which presents the Journeys as part of this new kind of youth political activism driven by technology.

Keywords

Youth movements Cyber activism Mannheim Social movements Digital divide Political sphere 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

The authors would also like to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Jeannie Yoo and Marcelo N. Fraga for the substantial suggestions on editing and historical material. We thank all sociology students from the Universidade de Brasília who took part both as interviewers and participants in the study presented here.

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Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Maria Francisca Pinheiro Coelho
    • 1
  • Ana Cristina Murta Collares
    • 1
  1. 1.Sociology DepartmentUniversity of BrasíliaBrasíliaBrazil

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