Framing Disputes over Gender in Brazil: Images and Disinformation in the Digital Age

At the intersection of Image Sociology and Digital Sociology, this article offers a reflection on the role of audiovisual media in shaping perceptions of reality and its implications in the debate on disinformation. We revisit Goffman’s concept of framing to analyze how, in a mediatized and hyper-connected society, images are produced, recovered, and re-signified in political disputes over gender issues, intertwined with other social differences, starting from the 2010s. Through an analysis of YouTube videos produced by political agents, we examine how opposition to gender perspectives is constructed through a media framing that reframes the struggle for sexual and reproductive rights as a threat to families and children. The analysis focuses on understanding the use of videos produced or reworked by these actors, emphasizing their constructive dimension through technical resources such as editing and montage, which create meaning by connecting narrative and visual elements. By studying a specific historical instance of political conflict in Brazil, this article aims to contribute to the understanding of the role of audiovisual media in the political dissemination of disinformation.