The debate on HIV and AIDS is marked by activism, misinformation, and political polarization

By: FGV ECMI

 

• The debate was marked by a diversity of approaches, focusing on government campaigns, activist mobilizations, fake news, and parliamentary polarization around the agenda;
• On Telegram, disinformation and conspiracy messages were highlighted, associating COVID-19 vaccines with alleged plans by political groups aligned with "globalism”;
• The use of artificial intelligence to propagate stigmas regarding AIDS was also identified on Facebook, with the dissemination of movie posters that mock the illness.

 

The discussion on social media about HIV/AIDS ranges from informative campaigns and activist speeches to misinformation, stigma, and political polarization. The false link between COVID-19 vaccines and HIV infection, for instance, which was propagated by former President Bolsonaro in 2021, remains a prominent axis of disinformation. This is evidenced in a study by FGV School of Communication, Media, and Information (FGV ECMI) that analyzed the digital debate on the topic across platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp between June 1st and November 26th, 2023.

During the analyzed period, celebrities fueled the discussion from various angles. There were reports about famous individuals who passed away due to AIDS and calls for artists to take a stand on the issue during their performances. Meanwhile, in the parliamentary debate, there was a prominent polarized tone, with a clash of narratives regarding the public health policies of the Bolsonaro and Lula administrations.

 

 

Vaccination debate

 

Evolution of the HIV/aids  on Facebook

Period: from June 1st to November 26t

Source: Facebook | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• With 10,937 posts and 555,831 interactions, the debate about HIV/aids was marked by a diversity of approaches: stories of resilience, celebrities diagnosed with the virus (between speculations and confirmed cases), humanitarian actions, news related to institutional politics, amid polarized discussions and announcements of public policies.".

 

• The peak of posts occurred on July 13th when President Lula honored Dr. Adele Benzaken, associated with AIDS combat, who was dismissed from the Ministry of Health during the Bolsonaro administration. This topic illustrates the polarized narrative dispute surrounding HIV/AIDS public health policies observed in other networks. The peak of interactions, however, happened on August 10th due to an account shared by a hemophiliac person living with AIDS.

 

Main terms about HIV/aids in X

Period: from October 29th to November 28th

Source: X | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• Public policies regarding HIV and aids had significant prominence in the word cloud, as suggested by the presence of words and expressions such as health, Brazil, State, Government, SUS (Unified Health System), and social responsibility. Government campaigns and outreach efforts boosted the prominence of these terms.

 

• The pattern is disrupted by terms influenced by specific episodes of high media appeal, such as international celebrities who performed in the country in November. While Taylor Swift was criticized for not publicly embracing social causes like aids, the band RBD was praised for taking a stance on the issue during their shows. This suggests the existence of public pressure for artists to engage in the cause.

 

• Among the terms that stood out, there was also significant circulation of the story of a man who allegedly contracted HIV after being raped by 60 inmates, following an unjust imprisonment for child abuse. Jair Bolsonaro's statement in 2021 that the 'Covid-19 vaccine caused aids' also gained significant visibility, with a predominantly critical tone towards the former president.

 

Parliamentary debate on HIV/aids on Facebook and Instagram

Period: from June 1st to November 26th

Source: Facebook and Instagram | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• With only 22 posts on Facebook and 6 on Instagram, the theme tended to be approached laterally by lawmakers. In general, it was discussed based on polarized political disputes or through the dissemination of scientific discoveries or specialized public policies.

 

• The polarized dispute of narratives was highlighted. While government supporters denounced a previous government's omission in this area, opposition members claimed that the current government was hindering access to treatments like those for HIV and aids by reconsidering tax exemptions for medications.

 

• The reach of the posts varies according to the platform, with a relative balance between political groups. While Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR) had a reach 206% higher than Mário Frias (PL-SP) on Facebook, he recorded 673% more reach on Instagram, with exactly the same content.

 

• In the government camp, criticism of Bolsonaro's false claim about the Covid-19 vaccine transmitting HIV was relevant, as well as the dissemination of scientific discoveries with potential for cure or easier prevention.

 

Main posts about HIV/aids on Facebook and Instagram

Period: from June 1st to November 26th

Source: Facebook and Instagram | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• The discussion on HIV and aids is approached from various angles on Facebook and Instagram. Life stories, humanitarian missions, and celebrities diagnosed with HIV have greater prominence on the platforms. In a tone of tribute or curiosity, Renato Russo, Cazuza, and Freddie Mercury are among the most associated celebrities with the aids pandemic.".

 

• News with a religious or scientific bias also had centrality. In the realm of religion, posts about patron saints for aids patients and a supposed account of an individual who claimed to no longer be HIV-positive after declaring themselves a Christian stood out. In the scientific realm, discoveries related to cases of aids remission and a possible vaccine took precedence.

 

• Speculations about celebrities who may or may not have HIV or aids and images generated through artificial intelligence with allegedly comedic intent are among the posts seeking to stigmatize or ridicule people living with HIV o aids. One of the images produced via AI, for example, simulates a poster for a fake animated film. In the poster, a woman hugs a chimpanzee, an animal attributed to the initial transmission of HIV to humans, in a paradisiacal setting with implicit sexual connotations.

 

Source: Facebook | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• Prominent cases of artists' deaths due to HIV-related complications and contemporary updates on the disease are combined with sensationalistic news about the topic.

 

 

• Sensationalistic and misleading news are prominently present. While Clique Notícias revives stigmatizing misinformation about Anitta's alleged infection, O Tempo recalls Jair Bolsonaro's association between the Covid-19 vaccine and HIV infection.

 

• In a tone of remembrance and tribute, the cases of Freddie Mercury and Renato Russo are revisited by Revista Cifras and Rádio Rock, media outlets associated with music scene coverage. In a more contemporary perspective, the interview with Lucinha Araújo for Estadão, Cazuza's mother, revisits her son's case.

 

• Recent advances in HIV infection treatment medications are highlighted in RealTime1 and g1. The project recently developed by Doctors Without Borders in Malawi also received attention.

 

Debate about HIV/aids on Telegram

Period: from June 1st to November 26th

Total posts collected on Telegram: 148 messages

Source: Telegram | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• Disinformation and conspiratorial accusations using stigmatizing associations around aids stand out on Telegram.

 

• Gathering thousands of views and hundreds of shares, there are several messages spreading misinformation about the alleged presence of the HIV virus in COVID-19 vaccines. Various sources are mentioned to legitimize these claims, such as “studies” and “official data,” as well as reference to the “Nobel Prize winner”.

 

• The portrayal of the HIV virus as a “hidden weapon” that is part of actions by political groups and institutions classified as allies of “globalism” and the 'new world order' is also recurrent and popular in groups and channels on the platform.

 

Debate about HIV/aids on WhatsApp

Period: from June 1st to November 26th

Total posts collected on WhatsApp: 2,592 messages

Source: WhatsApp | Elaboration: FGV ECMI

 

• The most prominent messages are divided between informative posts on one side and the dissemination of sensationalist stories aiming to trigger fear regarding aids and HIV on the other.

 

• Updates on prevention medications and virus detection tests, such as the kit developed by Fiocruz, along with awareness campaigns on the subject, are the informative topics that generated the most interest on the platform.

 

• Having a more limited circulation, messages with sensationalist stories of alleged HIV infection episodes gained prominence.