2026-05-18T02:23:45Zhttps://keep.lib.asu.edu/oai/request

oai:keep.lib.asu.edu:node-2007362025-06-05T17:17:16Zoai_pmh:alloai_pmh:repo_items

200736 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.N.200736 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2025-05 47 pages Nutter, Sarah Parmentier, Mary Jane Goodman, Glenn Barrett, The Honors College School of Politics and Global Studies School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership On January 6th, 2021, protestors stormed the United States capitol in an attempt to prevent President-Elect Joe Biden from taking office, inspired by widespread and unfounded rumors that he was elected fraudulently. Two years and two days later, on January 8th, 2023 similar events unfolded in the Brazilian capital for similar reasons, with protestors calling for the military to intervene in the election. Although Brazil and the United States have very different political histories, these two events and the presidents that inspired them are an example of a moment in history where the countries stood in remarkably comparable positions. Based on the already established links between social media and the disinformation that fueled and planned these attacks, my thesis seeks to investigate what has changed in the aftermath of these events and developments that had occurred by February of 2025 when the investigation was concluded. I will review the consequences incurred by the leaders who encouraged these attacks and the changes, or lack thereof, made by democratic institutions, governments, and private social media companies. I will also study the effect these events had on U.S. citizens through original research conducted on students at Arizona State University, including the way that they view social media and its impact on their trust in political institutions. The primary research conducted at Arizona State sought to address a gap in literature on the political trust of university students. Based on my findings, I will consider the implications that these anti-democratic events have for future elections and the safeguards that should be put in place to promote healthy democratic debate on social media and ensure that misinformation and conspiratorial thought is mitigated. By examining the similarities and differences between these events, we can learn how the political systems and cultures of different countries impact the movements that unfold within them. Brazil United States Democracy Social Media Political Trust Misinformation Democracies in Danger: The Role of Social Media in Anti-Election Insurrections in Brazil and the United States and the Implications for Democracy