FGV Comunicação Rio conducted a study on the repercussion of the case involving verbal harassment and threats made by the entrepreneur Elon Musk against the Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes after he ordered that profiles on X be blocked (former Twitter). In response, Musk threated to shut down the social platform in Brazil. The situation prompted a series of discussions on X – and on other social media platforms such as Telegram, Facebook and Whatsapp – around claims that the Brazilian legal system is promoting censorship. The analyses are the result of a study by the School of Communication, Media and Information at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV ECMI), conducted from April 6 to April 9 in the afternoon.
Right-wing groups stood out in the debate, accounting for 63.5% of the interactions about the topic on X. In general, the content included attacks against Moraes and praise for Musk. The right-wing groups were divided into three categories: those associated with former president Jair Bolsonaro had the majority of interactions and profiles, 41.1% and 51.18%, respectively; those considered to be the “liberal right” had 7.5% of the profiles and interactions; and the group composed of influencers and media outlets had 4.4% of the profiles and 4.2% of the interactions in the discussion on Moraes and Musk. Some examples include profiles such as Renata Barreto and Monark and media outlets such as Jovem Pan News.
Left-wing groups also participated in the debate with 16.3% of the interactions. Those groups were composed of progressive influencers and left-wing political players defending social platform regulation. They approved Moraes’s decision, arguing that Brazilian law cannot be subdued by any foreign individual. However, unlike the right, the left did not stand out in the debate.
Lastly, another highlight was the discussion on the issue on mobile apps, particularly in right-wing groups, who also supported Musk.
Check out the complete study here.