Regimes de visibilidade: a espetacularização do conflito entre Bruna Marquezine e Vírginia Fonseca

Abstract

This work analyzes the spectacularization of image conflicts in digital culture through a case study of the narrative dispute involving actress Bruna Marquezine and influencer Virgínia Fonseca, mediated by the actions of journalist Léo Dias in early 2025. The research investigates how public figures embedded in distinct visibility regimes deploy differentiated reputation and crisis management strategies in digital environments, considering contemporary dynamics of exposure, participation, and the circulation of meaning. The theoretical framework articulates the concepts of new visibility (Thompson, 2008), extimacy (Sibilia, 2008), the self-as-commodity (Karhawi, 2016), participatory culture (Shirky, 2011), and image crisis management (Forni, 2019). Methodologically, the study adopts Content Analysis (Bardin, 2011), applied to a corpus consisting of 97 recording units—including posts and videos—collected from the official Instagram and TikTok profiles of Bruna Marquezine, Virgínia Fonseca, and Léo Dias. The results indicate the operation of three distinct narrative logics: crisis management through strategic silence, distinction, and external validation in Marquezine’s case; a connection strategy based on the intensification of intimacy and performative normalization mobilized by Virgínia Fonseca; and narrative tensioning driven by the attention economy, promoted by Léo Dias’s journalistic mediation. Consequently, the study observes that the spectacularization of the conflict results from the interaction between these logics, highlighting the centrality of digital platforms in reconfiguring image disputes within contemporary media culture.