Disinformation at the Service of Chaos: Communication in Brazil after the January 8 attacks

Abstract

The creation and dissemination of false News in Brazil has become an instrument of political and electoral marketing in the country. With moral content and resorting to sexual, religious, and ethical themes, Fake News acts in the psychological field. It directly impacts the formation of public opinion in the process of Disinformation at the service of chaos in politics. The role of communication in the materialization of the attacks on democracy on January 8 in Brasília and its consequences, as well as the initiatives to combat Disinformation in the country, are analyzed from the perspective of the Narcotizing Effect of the Media (Lazarsfeld & Merton, 1948) and the Theory of Moral Foundations (Haidt, 2012).