Sobre o lúdico no ciberativismo: affordances percebidas pelas comunidades de fãs na cultura pop

Abstract

We observe contemporaneously the development of new media that combine ubiquity, immersion and speed with a considerable impact on culture. These new means provide the instruments for a new configuration of symbolic exchanges in diverse social relations. With this, new elaborations arise and influence different spheres of culture. In the national context, the constant political instabilities serve as propeller for new forms of political activism linked to social media. Within this, fan communities demonstrate potential in using pop culture as a tool for cyber-activism. The present work, based on a combination of the studies of Marshall McLuhan with the concept of Affordance developed by James. J. Gibson, aims to analyze whether fan communities, using pop culture content as a form of activism, can influence their members to engage in more politically active behaviors, either directly or indirectly. For that, a case study was made with the Life of Coach page, page created in Facebook by fans of the Pokémon franchise and that create activist contents. This study was supported by an impersonal questionnaire developed in online platform for the public that accompanies the page. The hypothesis is that most followers consume and share activist content without noticing, being primarily tied to the fan community, thus becoming more engaged in activist issues in an indirect way.