Civic Bots:

an analysis of automation technologies as an activist repertoire on X/Twitter

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/

Keywords:

civic bots, civic technologies, Twitter, digital activism, digital democracy

Abstract

This study aims to understand the extent to which civic bots constitute an activist communication repertoire on Twitter, based on an analysis of Brazilian initiatives. The hypothesis explored by this article is that these initiatives have simultaneously helped to establish a professional field, related to the datafication of civil society organizations and data journalism, and also to form specialized audiences. Based on approximately 130,000 tweets that mention or react to at least one of 14 different civic bots in Brazil, over the last five years, the investigation aims to (1) identify possible networks of actors that occur among the audiences, and (2) compare the reach and effects of each initiative. The initial results indicate the existence of a group of users extremely engaged in interacting with these tools.

Author Biography

  • Gabriella Da Costa, Fluminense Federal University

    Doutoranda em Comunicação pela Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). Mestra em Comunicação e Cultura Contemporânea pela Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA). Bacharel em Comunicação Social, na Universidade de Brasília (UnB). Integra o Centro de Estudos Avançados em Democracia Digital e Governo Eletrônico (CEADD) e o Centro de Estudos em Tecnologia e Política (CTPOL). Pesquisa democracia digital e comunicação política . Já trabalhou em órgãos do Governo Federal como os ministérios da Saúde, Meio Ambiente e Integração Nacional. E também prestou serviços para ONG’s e Organismos Internacionais.

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Published

2026-03-10

Issue

Vol. 49 (2026): REVISTA INTERCOM

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Gabriella da Costa, Viktor Chagas

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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How to Cite

Civic Bots:: an analysis of automation technologies as an activist repertoire on X/Twitter. Intercom - Brazilian Journal of Communication Sciences, São Paulo, v. 49, p. e2026111, 2026. DOI: 10.1590/. Disponível em: https://revistas.intercom.org.br/index.php/revistaintercom/article/view/5087. Acesso em: 21 jul. 2026.