{"id":26474,"date":"2016-01-25T15:46:48","date_gmt":"2016-01-25T18:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=26474"},"modified":"2018-02-07T11:12:28","modified_gmt":"2018-02-07T14:12:28","slug":"favelas-love-affair-with-social-media-2015-roundup-and-predictions-for-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=26474","title":{"rendered":"Favelas’ Love Affair With Social Media: 2015 Roundup and Predictions for 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

When foreign\u00a0journalists visit Rio de Janeiro wishing to report on favela community news, they quickly come to find themselves\u00a0relying on\u00a0<\/span>social media<\/span><\/a>. Many are surprised at how Brazil<\/a> in general and favela residents in particular have not only embraced social media<\/a>, but use it vigorously for sharing news about their communities. As reported last year, favelas have a\u00a0higher number of Internet users than the ‘asphalt’<\/a>\u00a0or formal city. The\u00a0Internet in favelas is mainly accessed using mobile\u00a0phones, and often utilizing free wifi. The mobile phone is, argues <\/a>Thamyra Th\u00e2mara <\/a>of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>the GatoM\u00cdDIA<\/a>\u00a0collective<\/span>, an essential tool for addressing inequalities\u00a0and especially for favela youth: “No event occurs that is not passed through the lens of their android phone.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Many favelas have individual community members who spread updates, for example on electricity<\/a> shortages, warnings of police<\/a> activity or flooding<\/a>, and community news like the opening\u00a0of a new restaurant, event or protest. From WhatsApp, so loved by Brazilians that it is affectionately called “zap zap” (and for whom the world came to a halt for 24 hours in December\u00a0when the service was shut down<\/a>) to Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> (where Brazilians constitute\u00a0both sites’ #2 users worldwide) and Snapchat, some influential residents have formed strong followings and their use of social media has made them pillars of the community. And young Brazilians are those worldwide spending the most time on mobile devices<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> in Rio\u2019s <\/span>North Zone<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Mariluce Mari\u00e1 Souza<\/span><\/a>, an artist and community activist, has reached the limit of friends allowable by Facebook\u00a0as her role as an essential news source for the favela has become well known. She also runs a WhatsApp group for residents and journalists. Mariluce has gone on to gain recognition for her work and to <\/span>speak<\/span><\/a> at Stanford University\u2019s <\/span>Educational and Entrepreneurial Initiatives to Support Youth in Places of Violence conference<\/span><\/a>. Mariluce is only one example of an awe-inspiring movement of Rio residents taking on the responsibility to inform and share news from the favelas that is often overlooked or seen as inaccessible by local and foreign media.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mariluce<\/a><\/p>\n

Favela social media\u00a0roundup for 2015<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2015 stood out with major breakthroughs in the role played by\u00a0social media<\/a> in promoting and sharing grassroots news from Rio’s favelas. Citizen journalists<\/a>, concerned community members and activist groups have been using social media for many years to push out news including in\u00a0<\/span>Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Provid\u00eancia<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Complexo da Mar\u00e9<\/span><\/a> among others. However, 2015 saw this intensify to the point\u00a0that social media bridged the gap from, and went on to directly influence, mainstream and international news.<\/span><\/p>\n

The extent to which an average citizen could now impact the news agenda became incredibly clear in the <\/span>case of <\/span>17-year-old Eduardo Felipe Santos Victor<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>Provid\u00eancia<\/span>. On <\/span>Tuesday, September 29, p<\/span>olice shot Eduardo dead. A favela resident caught the police on camera planting a gun on his body and firing it to frame him by leaving traces of gun powder. The graphic video<\/a>, shared shortly after the incident on Facebook, quickly went viral. Getting widely shared and tweeted on Twitter within a matter of hours, the video and its message\u00a0were quickly picked up by\u00a0national<\/a><\/span>\u00a0news<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and soon after internationally by the <\/span>BBC<\/span><\/i> <\/a>and <\/span>The Telegraph<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span>The vital role of social media and mobile use in this case was highlighted in <\/span>The Guardian<\/span><\/i>\u2018s report<\/span><\/a>, pointing\u00a0out that it is only \u201cwhen incidents are filmed that justice is done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

The woman that recorded the video has <\/span>reportedly been threatened by police<\/span><\/a>, and has been <\/span>offered protection<\/span><\/a> by the Civil Police\u2019s Homicide Division. Her brave actions had real-world implications for Eduardo\u2019s case as five police officers were quickly arrested, and have empowered future community witnesses to continue to document and share incidents<\/a> in their favelas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Favela residents are not just widely utilizing current social networks, but are also ahead of the curve in snapping up new social media trends. 2015 saw <\/span>Periscope<\/span><\/a> hit the market and this live video-streaming app was quickly taken up by forward-thinking favela journalists. The automatic link with Twitter allows Periscope to easily fit in with the daily flow of news from favelas. This allows individuals like Raull Santiago<\/a> and other members of the media collective<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Coletivo Papo Reto<\/span><\/a> from <\/span>Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/span> to use\u00a0it for interviews, live accounts of police action and news commentary. <\/span><\/p>\n

Coletivo Papo Reto<\/a>\u00a0are at the forefront of using social media, innovative video techniques and community organizing<\/a> to make a measurable impact in their community. They have received\u00a0<\/span>international recognition<\/span><\/a> for their work using citizen journalism and video to hold police accountable for their actions, including winning the 2015 International Philanthropy Award<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015\u00a0Rio residents continued to expand their already intense\u00a0use of WhatsApp, by creating\u00a0diverse\u00a0groups to share real-time news\u00a0updates. The app’s\u00a0groups function\u00a0allows favela residents to share news\u00a0for free immediately within their communities and across broad networks of supporters. Some residents are also using WhatsApp to connect\u00a0with local journalists and correspondents to ensure news is picked up instantly. WhatsApp is such an accepted tool for news in Rio that Brazilian\u00a0newspaper\u00a0<\/span>O Dia<\/em>\u00a0has been using WhatsApp<\/span><\/a>\u00a0since 2014 to receive tips and news. In 2015 Globo’s RJTV<\/em> news joined the network offering <\/span>readers the chance to send in photos and videos<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>through both WhatsApp and the lesser-used V<\/a><\/span>iber<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015 we also saw the growth of the use of event and campaign organizing on social media using hashtags, including Coletivo Papo Reto\u2019s <\/span>#T\u00e1TudoErrado<\/span><\/a> (#EverythingIsWrong)<\/span> campaign and protest events<\/span><\/a>, Complexo do Alem\u00e3o’s collective crowdfunding campaign\u00a0#TodosPeloAlem\u00e3o<\/a>\u00a0(#AllForAlem\u00e3o),\u00a0<\/span>Vila Aut\u00f3dromo<\/span><\/a>‘s campaigns <\/span>#VivaVilaAut\u00f3dromo<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>#RioSemRemo\u00e7\u00f5es<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(#RioWithoutEvictions) and their <\/span>#OcupaVilaAut\u00f3dromo<\/span><\/a> events. These hashtags effectively mobilized residents behind the respective causes, as well as gaining support from other favela communities, broader civil society movements and local and international media.<\/span><\/p>\n

What might happen in 2016<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2016 offers\u00a0enormous\u00a0potential for change in Rio. With the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games<\/a> just around the corner favela residents have increased opportunities to gain international news attention, but also potentially face increased threats, with forced\u00a0evictions<\/a> and police brutality<\/a>\u00a0intensifying in the lead-up to\u00a0the mega-event. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Coletivo<\/p>\n

In the world of social media, new apps and functionality may prove\u00a0useful to favela residents. <\/span>Blab<\/span><\/a>, a video chat app that allows group interactions with up to four people that anyone can watch in real-time, may provide interesting potential\u00a0uses for favela organizers. In 2015 we saw multiple examples of favela communities supporting one\u00a0another via social media by sharing and debating events<\/a> in one another’s communities. Such an app\u00a0could enable separate communities sharing common concerns to work together and put out collective social media videos. In general, live-streaming of video will only get bigger and improve in quality\u00a0in 2016. In fact, it is becoming so mainstream that Facebook began<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>testing its own live video feature<\/span><\/a> in early December.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using cell phones for filming and documenting incidents, especially\u00a0police violence<\/a>\u00a0and forced evictions<\/a>, was recognized internationally as an important movement in 2015 and will continue to grow in 2016. An\u00a0<\/span>initiative between Witness, Coletivo Papo Reto and top New York coders<\/span><\/a> hopes to bring out a new app,\u00a0<\/span>CameraV<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>in 2016. CameraV is being beta tested now with the aim of allowing users to securely film any incident. The app will embed sensor data from the smartphone into the pixels of a captured image or film, allowing for new evidentiary and authentication standards. This may mean that the use of citizen film as evidence in criminal proceedings is strengthened, hopefully encouraging witnesses to feel more secure collecting and sharing their video evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, the power of social media is increasingly viewed as a threat by the government. WhatsApp was shut down on December 17<\/a>, an outage that was initially planned for 48 hours but shortened to 24 hours<\/a> after nationwide outrage. This drastic move by the courts appears to have been in response to WhatsApp\u2019s refusal to release personal data of users who were being investigated by the Federal Police. In a country with 100 million WhatsApp users, the move was a strong one and creates concerns about the future stability of the social media accounts that so many rely on<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Over\u00a0the past month, starting with TechCrunch<\/a><\/em> and most recently in TIME<\/em>,\u00a0news has circulated internationally about the Brazilian Congress’ plan<\/a> to roll back elements of the celebrated 2014 Marco Civil<\/a>, Brazil’s Internet “Bill of Rights”\u00a0which included rights for Internet users. The proposed changes include requiring all websites to store users\u2019 personal details for up to three years and provide access to police. This kind of “big brother” access would have massive ramifications for social media use, citizen journalism and Brazil’s position<\/a> at the forefront of Internet use. As social media forecasters expect WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook to keep growing\u00a0in Brazil, this issue will be the big one to watch in 2016, with the situation intensifying\u00a0<\/span>as politicians concerned with a growing public backlash<\/a>\u00a0fight to restrict\u00a0transnational Internet companies and user rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever else 2016 may\u00a0bring, favela residents will certainly continue\u00a0utilizing social media for news, protection and organizing,\u00a0and to share their stories with the world.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas When foreign\u00a0journalists visit Rio de Janeiro wishing to report on favela community news, they quickly come to find themselves\u00a0relying on\u00a0social media. Many are surprised at how Brazil in general and favela […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":14100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1294,1668,1288,1290,1268,1271,1282,329,328,1329],"tags":[1361,9,24,977,1606,1653,756,280,32,1811,1074,749,1117,354,2644,1845,1681,1292,144,796,1923,1801,4,1922],"writer":[1567],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-26474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-communitymedia","8":"category-participationwatch","9":"category-highlight","10":"category-civilsociety","11":"category-favelaculture","12":"category-favelaqualities","13":"category-research-analysis","14":"category-solutions","15":"category-understanding-rio","16":"category-by-international-observers","17":"tag-endfavelastigma","18":"tag-9","19":"tag-alternative-media","20":"tag-citizen-journalism","21":"tag-coletivo-papo-reto","22":"tag-community-media","23":"tag-community-organizing","24":"tag-complexo-da-mare","25":"tag-complexo-do-alemao","26":"tag-facebook","27":"tag-international-reporting","28":"tag-internet","29":"tag-journalism","30":"tag-law","31":"tag-marco-civil","32":"tag-media","33":"tag-media-collective","34":"tag-organizing","35":"tag-morro-da-providencia","36":"tag-social-media","37":"tag-twitter","38":"tag-video","39":"tag-vila-autodromo","40":"tag-whatsapp","41":"writer-ruth-faulkner"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26474"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=26474"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=26474"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=26474"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=26474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}