Negacionismo e ciência: conflitos entre os conhecimentos científicos e as redes sociais

Abstract

Using samples collected on social media, such as publications made by people who defend pseudoscientific positions, this research investigates elements of such positions that conflict with scientific knowledge. This research aims to expand the understanding about school and scientific knowledge oppositions that gain space in social media used in Brazil, providing useful information for the formulation of teaching strategies and scientific dissemination. The chosen methodology was virtual ethnography, understanding that the internet is not only an artifact from a culture, but also constitutes its own environment, that is, it has a spatial and temporal profile distinct from the offline environment, allowing unlike social and cultural interactions in comparison with other environments. The investigation focuses on three specific movements: intelligent design, flat earth hypothesis and vaccine refusal. In general, the investigated pseudoscientific movements have very different characteristics from one another, despite having similarities, which may require more complex approaches in effort to oppose their dissemination. In addition, were identified internal distinct elements that led different individuals to approach each researched movements, which opposes homogenizing analyzes about such people and their personal reasons.