How do big techs manipulate subjectivities through the war of affections?

Abstract

This article addresses the potential of the War of Affections with current technologies and media, in order to demonstrate the determination of contemporary subjectivity as an obstacle to the realization of fundamental rights and guarantees. The objectives are to examine the dynamics of the War of Affections, listing the main elements that characterize it, and then contextualize its applicability in the brazilian context. In addition, seek to discuss the relevance of the concept of war to the resurgence of hate speech and the spread of fake news through big tech companies. The research problem, therefore, is to what extent the actions of big tech companies, by spreading hate speech and misinformation, contribute to the construction of the binary logic of “Us” versus “The Other” in contemporary brazil, contributing to the ineffectiveness of fundamental rights. Using bibliographic research and a qualitative approach, the result is that the mass media, by operating under the logic of spectacle and psychological control, spread hate speech and misinformation, which not only undermine fundamental rights and guarantees, but also conceal and transform their emancipatory content into forms and devices for controlling individual and collective subjectivities.