Memes e disputa de hegemonia no Brasil recente: “Liberalismo da Zoeira” e a atuação da extrema direita no Facebook (2014-2018)

Abstract

This research investigates the production and dissemination of memes published by Liberalismo da Zoeira (LDZ), a Facebook page organically linked to the Movimento Brasil Livre (MBL), between 2014 and 2018. This period corresponds to a moment of crisis of hegemony in Brazil, marked by the right-wing assault on the streets and social media, and, in particular, by a far-right movement intent on gaining political traction with hate speech, chaos, revisionism, and denial. The memes analyzed here operate as tools of ideological dispute, spreading distorted views of history and discrediting leaders, parties, and republican institutions, as well as education and scientific knowledge—always under the guise of strict "joking". However, the frivolous use of "digital humor" is not limited to entertainment; in this case, it plays a strategic role in building consensus around authoritarian and ultraliberal values. The research is based on theoretical and historiographical contributions of a Marxist nature, a specific dialogue with the work of Antonio Gramsci (and its interpreters), and the Discourse Analysis produced by Eni Orlandi (following Michel Pecheux's example: the relationship between subjects, ideology and discourse). The analytical methodology is multidisciplinary, promoting a dialogue between History, Sociology, and Communication - from a Marxist perspective. Based on these frameworks, we will examine the meaning effects of memes, the constitution of subjects, and the circulation of statements online, in order to understand how such social practices contribute to the ideological naturalization of prejudices, anti-PT sentiment, the demonization of the left and social stereotypes, as well as the propagation of memes with a revisionist and historically denialist tone. We analyzed the textual and visual elements of the memes, their accompanying captions, and engagement indicators such as likes, comments, and shares. The results indicate that LDZ never acted spontaneously or anonymously, as it attempts to portray on Facebook, but rather as part of an organized social project, organically linked to the Movimento Brasil Livre and the ultraliberal and neo-fascist. Finally, it is evident that LDZ's memes, in the service of the MBL and similar groups, functioned as instruments of persuasion and propaganda, contributing to the legitimization of anti-left, anti-democratic discourse and the erosion of critical thinking in the digital public space.