The Mediation of the Brazilian V-for-Vinegar Protests

from vilification to legitimization andback?

Abstract

In this article, we argue that the June 2013 protests in Brazil, which some dubbed the V-for-Vinegar protests, is a highly productive case to explore the complex and highly dynamic relationship between media, communication and protest today. While mainstream media representations of protest remain important, the concept of mediation crosses the boundaries between production and reception and also brings self-mediation practices into the fray. We argue that the mediation opportunity structure is a useful conceptual tool to understand and analyse the various roles that media and communication play in relation to protest. The analysis demonstrates that the mediation opportunity structure is dynamic and semi-independent from the political opportunity structure. Furthermore, it also has a spatial contextual dimension, paying attention to issues such as the locality where the protests take place and the interaction between the national and international gaze. Finally, a temporal dimension was identified as well, pointing towards various different shifts between structure and agency occurring at different moments during the protests and in their mediations.