Lula lags behind Bolsonaro in digital race

– Wearing a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva smiles as he gushes on his love of Brazilian music, then segues into a barstool-style dissertation on football.

But for all Lula’s working-class roots and folksy appeal, the veteran leftist’s live sessions on social media just can’t seem to match those of the overpowering, base-mobilising digital phenomenon that is his predecessor, far-right ex-army captain Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, the man dubbed the “Tropical Trump,” wrote the book on blending social media and politics in Brazil, delivering weekly Facebook live addresses from the presidential palace throughout his time there, from 2019 to 2022.

Even now, out of power for more than a year and harried by various criminal investigations, Bolsonaro continues to reign supreme in the digital realm – a key battleground as Brazil heads for local elections in October.

A YouTube live session that Bolsonaro did on Sunday night with his sons racked up more than two million views – more than all of Lula’s “Conversations with the President” segments combined.

“By any measure, the radical right’s dominance on social media in Brazil is abundantly clear,” said Arthur Ituassu, a professor at Rio de Janeiro Pontifical Catholic University.

The phenomenon was on full display on 8 January, as Brazil marked the first anniversary of riots by Bolsonaro supporters, who stormed the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court a week after Lula’s inauguration, protesting their candidate’s narrow election loss.

Lula marked the date with a solemn speech paying tribute to democracy and condemning the “attempted coup.”

But on social media, the day belonged to Bolsonaro backers, who declared it “Patriot’s Day.”

Of the 25 most-shared posts on X on 8 January in Brazil, 20 came from Bolsonaro supporters, according to a report by consulting firm Bites for newspaper O Globo.

But Lula’s communications chief, Paulo Pimenta, argues the digital playing field is “balanced” in Brazil. The far-right may have more deeply engaged online warriors, “but we have a bigger base, with people who are less engaged,” he said.

Pimenta attributed the farright’s strength mainly to spreading spurious content.

But there is another reason for the far-right’s social media prowess, experts say: language.

“Their message is much more adapted to people’s day-to-day. It appeals directly to the ordinary citizen,” said Viktor Chagas, a cultural studies and media professor at Fluminense Federal University. –