Images of the past, conflicts of the present: visual culture and comments on I’m Still Here on Youtube
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.9771/contemporanea.v24i1.71932Keywords:
Visual culture, Historical memory, Digital platformsAbstract
This article analyzes the reception of the trailer for the film I’m Still Here (dir. Walter Salles) on YouTube, considering the comments posted on the platform as a privileged space for observing contemporary disputes surrounding the memory of the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship. Drawing on an approach that articulates visual culture, history, and communication, the study understands audiovisual media as a device for activating historical memories and digital platforms as central arenas for the circulation of affects, symbolic conflicts, and political discourses. Methodologically, the research combines Social Network Analysis and Automated Content Analysis, using the Gephi and IRaMuTeQ software packages to map the interactional dynamics of the comment network and to identify recurring discursive patterns. The results indicate a strong hypercentralization of interactions and the emergence of three major discursive axes: affective rejection and disqualification of the film, political-historical disputes surrounding the dictatorship, and aesthetic evaluations permeated by cultural polarization.
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