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PUBLIC SCRUTINY OF PRIVATE LIFE: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF HOMELESSNESS DISCUSSED ONLINE

Abstract

This research, of an ethnographic nature and based on the premises of Digital Anthropology, investigated the marks of culture that permeate the debate about homelessness mediated by digital technologies on a Facebook page. The analyzed page, named Rio Invisível, publishes reports of homeless people, using a testimonial tone. The participant observation stage included reading all publications (posts and comments) between September 2014 and March 2020. The group that created the page and 27 people who regularly commented on the posts participated in the study. The research corroborates the notion that the digital world is permeated by ambiguities since, on the one hand, there is a change in thinking and attitude towards homelessness and, on the other hand, the reinforcement of reductionist views linked to the feeling of knowing someone through stories published on the internet.

Keywords:
Digital Anthropology; Homeless People; Mediated Relationships; Culture; Empathy

Associação Brasileira de Psicologia Social Programa de Pós-graduação em Psicologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (CFCH), Av. da Arquitetura S/N - 7º Andar - Cidade Universitária, Recife - PE - CEP: 50740-550 - Belo Horizonte - MG - Brazil
E-mail: revistapsisoc@gmail.com