Rivalidade em Debates sobre Cortes na Educação Brasileira no Youtube

The purpose of this study was to analyze conservative and reactionary activism on YouTube. The study examines the communication strategies used by these commentators in formulating and expressing opinions on the topic of budget cuts to federal educational institutions. The method for analyzing comments was developed based on the creation of a codebook divided into seventeen categories—created based on the propositions of Stromer-Galley (2002, 2007). The study focuses, in particular, on variables that relate to the designation of adversaries or enemies, with the aim of understanding the polarization of the debate in the comment sections of six YouTube channels. As a result, the research shows that the main characteristics of this debate are: the use of insults to justify positions, fierce rivalry among commenters, and the designation of enemies as a strategy employed by commenters in favor of the cuts. It was concluded that online spaces are not environments conducive to rational debate, nor do their participants draw conclusions about the topic.