RESEARCH LINE 1
RESEARCH LINE 1 – COMMUNICATION AND POWER
Each PósCom faculty member is encouraged to develop a research plan aligned with the program’s two main research lines: Communication and Power and Communicational Aesthetics and Languages. Below is the list of faculty members associated with Line 1 and their current research projects.
Cicilia Maria Krohling Peruzzo
Title: Intersections Between the Communication of Social Movements and Post-Development in the Internet Era
Abstract: This study explores the presence of social movements and community organizations on the internet, with a focus on their profiles and audiovisual content. Its goal is to analyze how these groups communicate to understand intersections between communicative praxis, citizenship development, and the transformation of local realities. The theoretical framework articulates views on civil society organization, communicational processes in social mobilization, and post-development thought—emphasizing alternative, harmonious modes of living in relation to social, economic, and environmental rights. The methodology is based on an epistemic position that views knowledge as developed through an intersubjective relationship between researcher and object. The study relies on bibliographic and documentary research, using depth hermeneutics for interpretation and analysis.
Emerson Campos Gonçalves
Title: Social Media Addiction and Methylphenidate Use Among University Students in Espírito Santo
Abstract: This research draws on Christoph Türcke’s work on digital image saturation and the culture of attention deficit in contemporary society. It explores the hypothesis that digital media and smartphones have contributed to increasingly distracted individuals who turn to stimulants like methylphenidate (Ritalin) for focus. The study seeks to investigate the prevalence of this drug’s use among university students in Espírito Santo, based on surveys and interviews. The aim is to map the problem and contribute to public policy discussions around the roots of attention deficit culture, including the role of social media.
Guillermo Mastrini (Visiting Professor)
Title: Media Structure and Concentration in Brazil (Not currently funded)
Abstract: As platforms like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon shape internet governance by imposing proprietary standards, legacy media companies become increasingly dependent on them. This project aims to: (1) map developments in 20 media industries in Brazil; (2) adapt or develop tools for analyzing media concentration; and (3) generate open data to support public policy and debate on media ownership concentration.
José Edgard Rebouças
Title: Reconfigurations in the Logic and Strategies of Cultural and Media Industries in Times of Global Crises: From World War I to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract: This study examines how global crises accelerate changes in media and cultural industries. Drawing on historical moments of technological and structural shifts, it contextualizes the recent transformations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic within a broader trajectory—from the telegraph in the Crimean War to streaming platforms today. The research is informed by socio-economic readings of the media and explores the responses of key actors in media sectors, engaging with a wide range of thinkers from the Frankfurt School to contemporary critical theorists.
Rafael Bellan Rodrigues de Souza
Title: Emancipatory-Critical Journalism and the Formation of Historical Subjects
Abstract: This project critiques irrationalist tendencies in subjectivist approaches to activist journalism. It examines how such perspectives may obscure the material structures of capitalism and rely on postmodern ideologies. Drawing from Genro Filho’s theory of journalism and Mészáros’ notion of societal transition, the research advocates for a critical-emancipatory journalism committed to social transformation.
Rafael da Silva Paes Henriques
Title: Decoding Journalistic Texts: Analyzing Coverage of Public Interest Issues
Abstract: This project investigates how journalism constructs meaning in its coverage of public interest events. It analyzes the discursive strategies, framing, and interpretive choices in news texts to reveal their ideological underpinnings. The main hypothesis is that journalism always interprets rather than merely reports events, reproducing dominant worldviews. The goal is to make explicit the decisions and influences shaping journalistic narratives.
Ruth de Cássia dos Reis
Title: Discourse and Narrative Studies in Contemporary Communication Processes
Abstract: Digital-era communication raises new questions about meaning-making in today’s interconnected, distributed systems. This research explores how meaning is produced through discourse in dynamic communication networks. It adopts a view of discourse as a mechanism through which language constitutes both subject and society. The project uses bibliographic, documentary, and experimental methods to continue developing theoretical and methodological tools for analyzing contemporary media discourse.
