Collective Action on WhatsApp and Telegram: The Framings That Laid the Ground for the Invasion of the Three Powers Plaza, Brazil, on January 8, 2023

This chapter scrutinizes the framing of certain narratives by segments of the Brazilian far right on WhatsApp and Telegram messages exchanged during the country’s last presidential election. These narratives sought to undermine the electoral process and thus help explain Jair Bolsonaro’s success in mobilizing part of his electorate during that period. Supporters camped outside army headquarters for over 2 months after the elections, and then proceeded to invade the seats of the three governmental powers, located in Brazil’s capital, Brasília, on January 8, 2023. Utilizing the concept of ‘collective action frames’, the chapter analyzes 613 text messages sent across 331 WhatsApp and 180 Telegram groups that openly supported former President Bolsonaro. The analysis was divided into two periods—one before and one after the official campaign period (going up to December 31, 2022)—to understand how the Brazilian far right articulated its discourse in different contexts, maintaining their supporters’ mobilized in the streets for months.