Dynamics of Climate Disinformation in Facebook and Instagram Posts in Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.47(2025).6041

Keywords:

climate disinformation, online platforms, Facebook, Instagram, climate change denial

Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of climate disinformation in Facebook and Instagram posts in Brazil, focusing on the misrepresentation of scientific data aimed at discrediting science. We characterised the recurring themes, forms of expression, social actors involved, languages, and types of narratives that encompass fallacies, conspiracy theories, and religious viewpoints. Furthermore, we cross-referenced these categories with the presence or absence of scientific arguments to explore whether the use of science in climate disinformation serves to reinforce specific viewpoints or fuel controversy. The methodological approach included content and thematic analysis of 77 climate disinformation posts on these platforms, collected between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, using the descriptors “climate change” and “global warming”. Our findings confirm the existence of a climate disinformation ecosystem with distinct Brazilian characteristics, where public discussions reinforce the notion of humanity’s demise, framed within catastrophic rhetoric and propagated by alternative media. The analysis also highlights that Facebook is increasingly a space for more explicit climate disinformation, often linked to fanaticism, as opposed to Instagram, which presents climate disinformation in a way that does not directly deny science.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Luana Cruz, Instituto Nacional de Comunicação Pública da Ciência e Tecnologia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Luana Cruz holds a PhD in Language Studies from the Federal Center for Technological Education of Minas Gerais. She is a researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology for Public Communication of Science and Technology and a lecturer on postgraduate courses in Advertising Creation and Audiovisual Production, Digital Journalism Production, Strategic Communication in Organisations, and High-Performance Strategies in Digital Communication at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais. Additionally, she is a journalist for the Projeto Ilíada within the National Education and Research Network.

Vanessa Fagundes, Instituto Nacional de Comunicação Pública da Ciência e Tecnologia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Vanessa Fagundes holds a PhD in Sociology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. She is a researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology for Public Communication of Science and Technology and a lecturer on the postgraduate course in Public Communication of Science (Amerek) at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Additionally, she serves as the coordinator of the Communications Office at the Research Support Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais.

Luisa Massarani, Instituto Nacional de Comunicação Pública da Ciência e Tecnologia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Luisa Massarani holds a PhD in Management, Education, and Dissemination in Biosciences from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She is the coordinator of the National Institute of Science and Technology for Public Communication of Science and Technology and a researcher at the Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. She holds a PQ-1B productivity in research grant from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development and a Scientist of Our State grant from the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Thaiane Oliveira, Departamento de Estudos de Mídia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brazil

Thaiane Oliveira holds a PhD in Communication from Fluminense Federal University. She is the coordinator of the Laboratory for Research in Science, Innovation, Technology, and Education and a researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology (INCT) for Public Communication of Science and Technology, the INCT in Informational Disputes and Sovereignties, and the INCT in Conflict Management. She is also a researcher at the Unesco Chair Language Policies for Multilingualism and the National Science for Education Network and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. She is a recipient of a PQ-2 productivity in research grant from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development and a Young Scientist of Our State grant from the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

References

Alzamora, G., Mendes, C., & Ribeiro, D. M. (Eds.). (2022). Sociedade da desinformação e infodemia. Fafich; Selo PPGCOM; UFMG.

Baghdadi, J. D., Coffey, K. C., Belcher, R., Frisbie, J., Hassan, N., Sim, D., & Malik, R. D. (2023). #Coronavirus on TikTok: User engagement with misinformation as a potential threat to public health behavior. JAMIA Open, 6(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooad013

Barros, C., Silva, D., Loureiro, M., Medeiros, P., Salles, D., & Santini, M. (2024). Negacionismo climático no YouTube: Como argumentos de falsos especialistas repercutem nos comentários da audiência. Anais do 33° Encontro Anual da COMPÓS, 33, 1–28.

Bellamy, J. (2020, 18 de dezembro). Climate change disinformation and polarization in Canadian society. North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network. https://www.naadsn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20-dec-Bellamy-Disinformation.pdf

Bennett, W. L., & Livingston, S. (2018). The disinformation order: Disruptive communication and the decline of democratic institutions. European Journal of Communication, 33(2), 122–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323118760317

Bitencourt, E., dos Santos, J. G. B., Hansen, A. S., Papaevangelou, C., Foa, C., & Junqueira, L. (s.d.). Gramming# covid19, reframing the pandemic. Retirado a 12 de outubro de 2024, de https://metodosdigitais.fcsh.unl.pt/?page_id=2208

Center for Countering Digital Hate. (2023). The new climate denial: How social media platforms and content producers profit by spreading news forms of climate denial. https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/CCDH-The-New-Climate-Denial_FINAL.pdf

Cesarino, L. (2022). O mundo do avesso: Verdade e política na era digital. Ubu Editora.

Charaudeau, P. (2010). Discurso das mídias (A. M. S. Corrêa, Trad.). Contexto. (Trabalho original publicado em 2005)

Clayton, S. (2020). Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 74, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102263

Climate Action Against Disinformation. (2023a). COP, look, listen: Spotlight 1 – The growing threat to climate activists. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/COP-Look-Listen-Spotlight-1.pdf

Climate Action Against Disinformation. (2023b, 25 de setembro). Climate mis-/disinformation backgrounder. https://caad.info/analysis/briefings/climate-mis-disinformation-backgrounder/

Coffey, Y., Bhullar, N., Durkin, J., Islam, M. S., & Usher, K. (2021). Understanding eco-anxiety: A systematic scoping review of current literature and identified knowledge gaps. The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 3, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100047

Cook, J. (2020a). Deconstructing climate science denial. In D. Holmes & L. M. Richardson (Eds.), Research handbook on communicating climate change (pp. 62–78). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Cook, J. (2020b, 31 de março). A history of FLICC: The 5 techniques of science denial. Skeptical Science. https://skepticalscience.com/history-flicc-5-techniques-science-denial.html

Costa, B. B. P., Maia, L. R. H., Santos Júnior, M. A., Oliveira, T., & Massarani, L. (2023). As vacinas contra a Covid-19 no TikTok no Brasil. Cuadernos.info, (56), 117–142. https://doi.org/10.7764/cdi.55.63663

Costa, L. M., Nóbrega, L. B., & Maia, C. T. (2021). Combate à desinformação na pandemia da Covid-19: A reação das plataformas digitais. Revista Eletrônica Internacional de Economia Política da Informação, da Comunicação e da Cultura, 23(1), 162–177.

Cruz, L. T. S. (2023). Plataformização do texto: Reconfiguração de práticas de escrita e edição a partir de mediações algorítmicas do Google [Tese de doutoramento, Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais].

d’Andréa, C. F. B. (2020). Pesquisando plataformas online: Conceitos e métodos. EDUFBA.

ECI UFMG. (2022, 12 de maio). O papel dos algoritmos e das plataformas digitais em contextos sociopolíticos [Vídeo]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzRdD6XiGA4

Fagundes, V. O., Massarani, L., Castelfranchi, Y., Mendes, I. M., Carvalho, V. B. D., Malcher, M. A., & Lopes, S. C. (2021). Jovens e sua percepção sobre fake news na ciência. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. Ciências Humanas, 16(1), e20200027. https://doi.org/10.1590/2178-2547-BGOELDI-2020-0027

Gillespie, T. (2018). A relevância dos algoritmos. Parágrafo, 6(1), 95–121.

Global Religion. (2023). Religious beliefs across the world. Ipsos. https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2023-05/Ipsos%20Global%20Advisor%20-%20Religion%202023%20Report%20-%2026%20countries.pdf

Hassan, I., Musa, R. M., Latiff Azmi, M. N., Razali Abdullah, M., & Yusoff, S. Z. (2024). Analysis of climate change disinformation across types, agents and media platforms. Information Development, 40(3), 504–516. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669221148693

Hoofnagle, M. (2007, 30 de abril). Hello scienceblogs. ScienceBlogs. https://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2007/04/30/hello-to-scienceblogs

Índio do Tapajós. (2023, 13 de março). Bem... Nem todo mundo é perfeito... Siga-me !!!! [Post]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/100064147808741/posts/586868763461379

Klein, E. J., & Klein, G. V. (2021). A circulação do discurso especializado como parte dos fluxos de desinformação sobre a COVID-19 no WhatsApp. Matraga - Revista do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras da UERJ, 28(53), 282–297. https://doi.org/10.12957/matraga.2021.56313

Laboratório de Estudos de Internet e Redes Sociais. (2024). Ecossistema da desinformação socioambiental no Brasil. https://netlab.eco.ufrj.br/post/ecossistema-de-desinforma%C3%A7%C3%A3o-socioambiental-no-brasil

Latour, B. (2020). Is this a dress rehearsal? Critical Inquiry, 47(S2), S25–S27. https://doi.org/10.1086/711428

Lazer, D. M., Baum, M. A., Benkler, Y., Berinsky, A. J., Greenhill, K. M., Menczer, F., & Zittrain, J. L. (2018). The science of fake news. Science, 359(6380), 1094–1096. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao2998

Lewandowsky, S. (2021). Liberty and the pursuit of science denial. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 42, 65–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.02.024

Lewandowsky, S., Cook, J., Ecker, U., Albarracín, D., Kendeou, P., Newman, E., Pennycook, G., Porter, E., Rand, D., Rapp, D., Reifler, J., Roozenbeek, J., Schmid, P., Seifert, C., Sinatra, G., Swire-Thompson, B., van der Linden, S., Wood, T. J., & Zaragoza, M. S. (2020). The debunking handbook 2020. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://doi.org/10.17910/b7.1182

Lima, V. M. A., Santos, C. A. C. M., & Vogel, M. J. M. (2013). A teoria do campo semântico no desenvolvimento de vocabulários estruturados para a web semântica. In I Congresso ISKO Espanha e Portugal (pp. 313–329). CETAC.MEDIA.

Magalhães, E., Alves, M., Oliveira, V., Oliveira, T., & Massarani, L. (2023). Esfera pública digital e atores sociais que pautaram as discussões sobre vacinas no Instagram e Facebook no Brasil durante a pandemia de COVID-19 (2020-2021). Observatório (OBS*), 17(3), 194–216. https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS17320232262

Mancoso, K., Paes, A., de Oliveira, T., & Massarani, L. (2023). Pesquisa em desinformação e divulgação científica: Uma revisão da literatura latino-americana. Journal of Science Communication, 6(01), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.22323/3.06010201

Massarani, L., Leal, T., & Waltz, I. (2020). O debate sobre vacinas em redes sociais: uma análise exploratória dos links com maior engajamento. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 36(Suppl 2), e00148319. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311X00148319

Massarani, L. M., Leal, T., Waltz, I., & Medeiros, A. (2021). Infodemia, desinformação e vacinas: A circulação de conteúdos em redes sociais antes e depois da COVID-19. Liinc em Revista, 17(1), e5689. https://doi.org/10.18617/liinc.v17i1.5689

Medeiros, P., Salles, D., Magalhães, T., Melo, B., & Santini, R. M. (2024). Greenwashing e desinformação: A publicidade tóxica do agronegócio brasileiro nas redes. Comunicação e Sociedade, 45, e024008. https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.45(2024).5417

Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação. (2024, 5 de março). El Niño 23-24 é um dos cinco mais fortes já registrados, diz Organização Meteorológica Mundial. https://www.gov.br/mcti/pt-br/acompanhe-o-mcti/noticias/2024/03/el-nino-23-24-e-um-dos-cinco-mais-fortes-ja-registrados-diz-organizacao-meteorologica-mundial

Molina, R. G. (2021). ¿Quién cree las fake news? Análisis de la relación entre consumo de medios y la percepción de veracidad de noticias falsas sobre la enfermedad COVID-19 en Nuevo León, México. AdComunica, (21), 265–285. https://doi.org/10.6035/2174-0992.2021.21.13

Munger, K., Luca, M., Nagler, J., & Tucker, J. (2018). The effect of clickbait. Center for the Study of Democratic Politics. https://csdp.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf2376/files/media/munger_clickbait_10182018.pdf

Nel Patriota. (2023, 17 de julho). BEM QUE ESSA BISCA, PODERIA COMEÇAR POR ELA MESMA. Teoria da conspiração, neh? Em discurso durante evento na noite da [Post]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/230418592223279/permalink/735412951723838

Neuendorf, K. A. (2018). Content analysis and thematic analysis. In P. Brough (Ed.), Advanced research methods for applied psychology (pp. 211–223). Routledge.

Newman, N., Fletcher, R., Robertson, C., Arguedas, A., & Nielsen, R. (2024). Reuters Institute digital news report 2024. Reuters Institute; University of Oxford. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2024-06/RISJ_DNR_2024_Digital_v10%20lr.pdf

Nguyen, A., & Catalan, D. (2020). Digital mis/disinformation and public engagment with health and science controversies: Fresh perspectives from Covid-19. Media and Communication, 8(2), 323–328. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i2.3352

Oliveira, T. M. de. (2020). Como enfrentar a desinformação científica? Desafios sociais, políticos e jurídicos intensificados no contexto da pandemia. Liinc em Revista, 16(2), e5374. https://doi.org/10.18617/liinc.v16i2.5374

Pesadelo do Sistema. (2023, 10 de março). O verdadeiro aquecimento global! [Post]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/100064174563179/posts/586501663498981

Purpose for Roots, Friends of the Earth, & Climate Action Against Disinformation. (2023). Misinforming Latin America: Narrative analysis of extreme weather in Brazil, Chile, and Peru. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Report_Misinforming-Latin-America.pdf

Recuero, R., Soares, F., & Zago, G. (2020). Polarização, hiperpartidarismo e câmaras de eco: Como circula a desinformação sobre COVID-19 no Twitter. Revista Contracampo, 40(1), 1–17. http://doi.org/10.22409/contracampo.v40i1.45611

Santini, R. M., & Barros, C. E. (2022). Negacionismo climático e desinformação online: Uma revisão de escopo. Liinc em Revista, 18(1), e5948. https://doi.org/10.18617/liinc.v18i1.5948

Santos, M. L. R., Paim, M. C., Soares, C. L. M., Santos, D. M., Sande, R. S., & Santos, G. R. M. (2021). Ações governamentais para enfrentamento da crise de desinformação durante a pandemia da Covid-19. Saúde Debate, 45(spe2), 187–204. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-11042021E213

Scheufele, D. A., & Krause, N. M. (2019). Science audiences, misinformation, and fake news. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(16), 7662–7669. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1805871115

Silva, D. R. (2017). Relações públicas, ciência e opinião: Lógicas de influência na produção de (in)certezas [Tese de doutoramento, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais]. Repositório Institucional da UFMG. http://hdl.handle.net/1843/BUOS-B8YFTP

Sousa, V., Capoano, E., Costa, P. R., & Paganotti, I. (2022). Did Covid-19 infect the news? How journalists, audiences and production processes have changed due to the pandemic. Universitas, (37), 19–40. https://doi.org/10.17163/uni.n37.2022.01

Tandoc, Jr, E. C., Lim, Z. W., & Ling, R. (2017). Defining “fake news”. A typology of scholarly definitions. Digital Journalism, 6(2), 137–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1360143

Thapa Magar, N., Thapa, B. J., & Li, Y. (2024). Climate change misinformation in the United States: An actor–network analysis. Journalism and Media, 5(2), 595–613. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia5020040

Venneti, L., & Alam, A. (2017, julho). Clickbaits: Curious hypertexts for news narratives in the digital medium [Apresentação de comunicação]. NHT17, Praga, Chéquia. https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1914/NHT17-1.pdf

Vick, M. (2024, 22 de outubro). ‘Negacionismo soft pode ser mais perigoso que o histérico’. Nexo. https://www.nexojornal.com.br/entrevista/2024/10/22/publicidade-petroleo-atila-shell-entrevista-alexandre-costa

Voşki, A., Wong-Parodi, G., & Ardoin, N. M. (2023). A new planetary affective science framework for eco-emotions: Findings on eco-anger, eco-grief, and eco-anxiety. Global Environmental Psychology, 1, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.5964/gep.11465

Vosoughi, S., Roy, D., & Aral, S. (2018). The spread of true and false news online. Science, 359(6380), 1146–1151. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap9559

Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Council of Europe. https://tverezo.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/PREMS-162317-GBR-2018-Report-desinformation-A4-BAT.pdf

Downloads

Published

2025-03-07

How to Cite

Cruz, L., Fagundes, V., Massarani, L., & Oliveira, T. (2025). Dynamics of Climate Disinformation in Facebook and Instagram Posts in Brazil. Comunicação E Sociedade, 47, e025002. https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.47(2025).6041

Issue

Vol. 47 (2025): Communication and Artificial Intelligence

Section

Varia

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Luana Cruz, Vanessa Fagundes, Luisa Massarani, Thaiane Oliveira

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors own the copyright, providing the journal with the right of first publication. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC