O uso de sites de redes sociais e o comportamento eleitoral a influência do facebook na decisão do voto nas eleições 2012 em Juiz de Fora

Abstract

This thesis seeks to understand how relationships mediated by Facebook can influence the electoral decision-making processes of its users, based on a case study of the 2012’ elections in Juiz de Fora. We present an approach of social network sites as cognitive niches, which implies that they are structured spaces filled with artifacts that provide the citizen with amplified social habilities. Given that social networks and information are influential variables for political decision making, our goal is to understand in which ways the exposure to information and interaction in these digital environments can affect the electoral preference formation of the citizens from Juiz de Fora. This research leads to the conclusion that the use of social network sites dramatically affects the way citizens access and are exposed to political information through their social ties. We conclude that the habit of coupling these tools for everyday cognitive processes – related or not to political information gathering - may influence political decision making.