Social media can be a great way to connect with people and share moments from your life. For many people it is almost a daily routine. However, not all experiences on social media are equal. In Brazil, socioeconomic differences are at the forefront of society (Firmino de Sousa Filho et al., 2022). This influences many aspects of people’s lives, including how people may experience the digital world. Youths from affluent neighbourhoods in Brazil often like using social media to connect with friends and enjoy entertainment. However, youths from poorer neighbourhoods often face a different reality.

This article is based on the research article by Arora & Scheiber (2017), who investigated the difference in online privacy between youth from two BRICS countries, India and Brazil. The results of the study showed that youths from poor neighbourhoods in Brazil are more careful on social media than those from poor neighbourhoods in India. This observation reminds me of some Brazilian friends from affluent and secure neighbourhoods, who often share personal information about themselves on social media. In Brazil, socioeconomic differences affect how young people view social media privacy. Yet there is limited understanding of how these differences manifest between youths from favelas and those from affluent neighbourhoods. Therefore, in this article I will investigate the differences on online privacy between youths from low- versus high-income neighbourhoods in Brazil. More specifically, I will investigate how socioeconomic backgrounds influence social media privacy concerns among Brazilian youths. Understanding these differences may shed light on the impact of living circumstances on online behaviour.

Favelas' Unheard Social Media Narrative

Brazil is a country located in the global south (Diko & Sempijja, 2020). As explained by Arora & Scheiber (2017), the global south is becoming increasingly connected. Big cities in Brazil such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro consist of many favelas – “settlements characterized by informal buildings, low-quality housing, limited access to public services, high population density, and insecure property rights” (EduMais, 2019). Although the official word for these settlements used by the United Nations is "slums" (Arora & Scheiber, 2017), this word – as well as the word "favela" – are considered trigger words with negative connotations. Therefore, the preferred word used by the residents of these communities are "morro" (hill) and "comunidade" (community). However, as residents of these communities try to revalue the term favela through music, and NGO’s operating in these communities encourage its use (EduMais, 2019), favela will be the term used throughout this article.

Favelas have been treated unfairly since the start of these settlements (Perlman, 2012, p. 174), it took almost a century for them to be included in city maps. Many favelas have a history of drug-related crimes, as these communities are characterised by narrow, dark streets with unemployed and disadvantaged youths. There are noticeable disparities between those living in favelas compared to non-favelas, with great spatial segregation (Carvalho & De Carvalho Cabral, 2021). Favelas are also characterised by economic hardship, with half of the residents living in poverty (EduMais, 2019). According to EduMais (2019), young children also face daily challenges. These challenges include: “drug trafficking violence, poverty, sexual abuse, food insecurity, and home instability”. Not only do the residents of these communities struggle with poverty, violence, and instability, but stigmatisation is also a great challenge. A first-person shooting game named Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II has been modelled after the favela Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo, the same favela on which this article is focused.

Youths from favelas often face challenges such as poverty, violence, instability, and significant stigmatisation.

Social media use has become increasingly prevalent in favelas. It is a great tool to connect with friends, family, and sometimes even strangers. Despite the challenges the youths face in favelas, social media has become a great tool to destress and seek support. However, it is important to acknowledge the potential negative carryover effects from real life to social media. Issues mentioned earlier such as violence, poverty and inequality could potentially manifest online. 

Privacy Paradoxes in Online Behaviour

The Digital Divide Theory refers to the "gap between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard both to their opportunities to access ICTs and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities" (Pick & Sarkar, 2016). Van Dijk’s Digital Technology Access Theory addresses pathways of personal inequalities that lead to digital inequalities, which in turn lead to unequal societal impacts in form of a feedback loop (Van Dijk, 2017). Youths from affluent neighbourhoods likely have better access to technology compared to youths from favelas. This can affect their comfort levels and social media behaviours. Due to the fact that favelas are often unsafe environments, this may influence their decision to share less personal information online. Therefore, this aligns with the idea that socioeconomic levels affect technology use.

Putnam (1993) explains the Social Capital Theory as “The features of social life—networks, norms, and trust—that enable participants to act together more effectively to pursue shared objectives”. Favelas differ from affluent neighbourhoods in these three features. When it comes to networking, people from affluent neighbourhoods typically have more access to broader networks, which may incline them to share more publicly on social media. People living in favelas, however, have limited access and therefore may share less. Norms differ vastly between the two kinds of neighbourhoods. In affluent neighbourhoods, people feel a higher sense of security and encourage more open sharing of personal information. In contrast, the norms in favelas might emphasise the importance of protecting your personal information, both in person and online. Lastly, the levels of trust differ in both types of neighbourhoods. Higher levels of trust are found in affluent neighbourhoods which may lead to people feeling safer, also online. Lower levels of trust are found in favelas (Perlman, 2010, pp. 166-196), which could lead to feeling unsafe online.

Method

The data for this analysis was obtained using surveys. For the students from the favela, I contacted an organisation based in Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo, Rio de Janeiro. EduMais is a non-profit organisation established to help youths living in challenging circumstances. Growing up in these challenging circumstances can influence the beliefs and lives of these youths (EduMais, 2019). Due to a large amount of armed conflicts, it can be hard for them to differentiate between safety and unsafety. These traumas can lead to an impairment in the students’ academic potentials. EduMais helps these students by first processing their traumas and developing their social learning, and then by equipping them with skills to use in the modern world. These skills include Web and Game Design and English classes. In one of their English classes, the topic of the class was technology. At the end of the class the survey was given to the students. The survey can be seen in figure 1. Due to the limited time available in class, as well as the slight language barrier, a simple yes/no format was used to ensure clarity of the survey.

For the youths living in affluent neighbourhoods, I created a survey on Google Forms which I sent out to Brazilians living in rich neighbourhoods, who then sent it to their friends and families. Both surveys consists of 10 questions, of which 2 are demographics (age and gender) and 8 are questions about privacy on social media. The data collection started on May 8th, 2024 and ended on June 1st, 2024. After the data collection, SPSS software was used for data analysis.

Socio-Digital Dynamics of Social Media Use

The data of 40 individuals has been obtained for analysis. The average age of the youths is 19.38 years old, 24 were male, 15 were female, and 1 selected “other”. Of these 40 individuals, 13 are currently living in the favela Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo. The other 27 are from affluent neighbourhoods spread throughout Brazil.

Favelas Unravelled

The average age of the students living in the favela is 16.38 years old. 5 participants are female, and 8 are male. The frequency of responses to the survey questions can be found in table 1, and the percentages can be found in figure 1.

Affluent Neighbourhoods Under the Lens

The average age of the participants living in affluent neighbourhoods is 20.81 years old. 10 participants are female, 16 are male, and 1 specified “other”. The frequency of responses to the survey questions can be found in table 2, and the percentages can be found in figure 2.

Lastly, some participants from affluent neighbourhoods left a comment at the end of the survey about privacy on social media. One individual stated: “Anything common sense that is not dangerous to share is mostly fine”. Another person said: “Today the only social media I have is Twitter, but when I had Instagram/Facebook the name of my school and age could be found. As I grow older, the less information I feel comfortable being public”. Lastly, one individual talked about some online privacy issues in Brazil: “This survey made me realise how much information I have put online, but I like to think that I still take some cautions as I'm not a big sharer and am careful with who I talk to.” She continued, “But I don't think that I share too much on social media, because in Brazil we already had some hackers leaking the personal information of people so I feel like those who are aiming for the bad, already have enough ammo”. She also added a link to an article which shows that the names, birthdates and social security numbers of many Brazilians have been leaked (Constantinescu, 2024).

“This survey made me realise how much information I have put online.”

Differences and Similarities

Differences can be found between the social media use of youths from affluent neighbourhoods compared to youths from favelas. In figure 3, the differences in responses between the youths from different neighbourhoods can be found.

Everyone answered “yes” to the question about social media use, showing that all individuals use some form of social media. Surprisingly, the youths from affluent neighbourhoods have more private profiles on social media than the youths from favelas. However, the other questions show that individuals from affluent neighbourhoods are less reserved and more trusting of strangers on social media. This can be seen by the large amount of “yes” responses to the questions about follow requests of strangers and having “internet friends”, for example. Finally, one person from an affluent neighbourhood stated that it is not important to be careful with what you share on social media.  

Two different worlds

Inequalities in Brazil are not only visible through socioeconomic disparities, but also extend to the online world. Social media use of youths in favelas compared to youth from affluent neighbourhoods highlights differences in the manifestation of online privacy. Theories have emphasised the role of social capital in shaping online behaviours, and showed the role of networking, norms and trust. The Digital Divide Theory,  especifically Van Dijk’s (2017) theory, showed how personal inequalities lead to digital inequalities.

Social Capital Theory explains that affluent neighborhoods, where people have broader networks and higher trust levels, create an environment where people feel safer and more comfortable sharing public information online. However, the limited networks and lower trust levels in favelas lead to more reserved online behaviors. This shows how the world’s social structures impact online behaviour. Van Dijk’s Digital Technology Access Theory shows that youths from affluent neighborhoods typically have better access to technology, enhancing their digital skills and comfort of sharing public information online. In favelas, the lack of access and resources leads to a digital divide, where youths are less likely to share publicly on social media due to privacy and safety concerns.

In this current digital age, uncovering the differences in social media use between students from favelas and those from affluent neighbourhoods shines a light on the diverse digital experiences within different socioeconomic backgrounds. These results reveal an interplay between social contexts and online behaviours, offering a glimpse into the different realities of online interactions and perceptions. Understanding these socioeconomic disparities is crucial for addressing digital inequalities and ensuring that all youth, regardless of their socioeconomic status, can safely participate in the digital world.

References

Arora, P., & Scheiber, L. (2017). Slumdog Romance: Facebook Love and Digital Privacy at the Margins. Media, Culture & Society, 39(3), 408–422.

Carvalho, C., & De Carvalho Cabral, D. (2021). Beyond the Favelas: An analysis of intraurban poverty patterns in Brazil. The Professional Geographer, 73(2), 269–281.

Constantinescu, V. (2024, January 11). Massive trove of Brazilian private data exposed in data leak. Hot For Security. Bitdefender.

Diko, N., & Sempijja, N. (2020). Does participation in BRICS foster South-South cooperation? Brazil, South Africa, and the Global South. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 39(1), 151–167.

EduMais. (2019, October 9). The Favelas. EduMais. 

Firmino de Sousa Filho, J., Ferreira dos Santos, G., Silva Andrade, R. F., Paiva, A. S., Freitas, A., Porto Castro, C., de Lima Friche, A. A., Barber, S., Caiaffa, W. T., & Barreto, M. L. (2022). Inequality and income segregation in Brazilian cities: a nationwide analysis. SN Social Sciences, 2(9).

Perlman, J. E. (2010). Violence, Fear, and Loss. Favela: Four Decades of Living on the Edge in Rio de Janeiro. Oxford University Press.

Pick, J., & Sarkar, A. (2016). Theories of the Digital Divide: Critical Comparison. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 49.

Putnam, R. D. (1993). The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life. The American Prospect, 13(4), 65–78.

Van Dijk, J. (2017). Digital Divide: impact of access. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects.