Dialogue of knowledges, Buen Vivir and participatory communication:

considering social change in the post-pandemic era

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-58442025101pt

Keywords:

Participatory communication, Buen Vivir, Dialogue of knowledge, Community, Social change

Abstract

In this interview, Thomas Tufte explores the concept of Buen Vivir, originated from Andean indigenous cultures, and highlights its complexity and variations in Latin America and Europe. He emphasizes the importance of the dialogue of knowledge and the creation of spaces of trust to promote communication for social change, underscoring the crucial role of communities in this process. Tufte also addresses the need to strengthen community communication to combat inequalities in the media. Furthermore, he discusses the influence of mainstream media, its opportunism in relation to the market, and the importance of legislation to ensure a more equitable media landscape. Tufte acknowledges the potential of digital platforms to amplify voices but warns against the commercial logics of large corporations, emphasizing the need for digital education and proper regulation. From a post-pandemic perspective, he sees opportunities for change, especially through the involvement of social movements, while highlighting the climate crisis as a new challenge. Regarding participatory communication, he considers it more than just a tool but an objective in itself, relating it to the pedagogy of Paulo Freire. Tufte also suggests that discussions about development and social change should begin with the desired society, emphasizing the importance of pluralism and flexibility in approaching communication and social change.

Author Biographies

  • Dr, Federal University of Santa Maria

    Full Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences at UFSM and a professor in the Graduate Program in Communication. She is a PQ2 researcher with CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development). She coordinates the research group "Social Uses of Media" (CNPq). She completed a senior internship at Nottingham Trent University (England) with a CAPES scholarship. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of São Paulo with a sandwich scholarship (Capes) at the University of California, USA. She holds a Master's degree in Communication Sciences from the University of São Paulo and a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the Federal University of Santa Maria. Since 2007, she has been a member of the Brazilian Television Fiction Observatory. She coordinated the Cooperation Agreement between UFSM and Karlstad University (Sweden) from 2013 to 2017, organizing seminars and workshops at Karlstad and a seminar at Stockholm University. She also coordinated the Reception Studies Working Group of ALAIC from 2009 to 2012 and the Reception, Uses, and Media Consumption Working Group of COMPÓS in the period 2008-2009. She is a member of the CAPES-PrInt group as part of the Information and Technologies project (2017-2022) awarded under CAPES PrInt notice no. 41/2017. In the field of Communication, she investigates the following themes and objects: Media, social class, and gender; Reception and consumption of audiovisual media; Consumption and youth identities; Uses of communication technologies in everyday life; Communication technologies and self-sustainable communities; Critical ethnography of consumption.

  • Laura Foletto, Federal University of Santa Maria

    Ph.D. candidate and Master's degree holder in Media Communication from the Federal University of Santa Maria. Bachelor's degree in Social Communication - Public Relations from the Federal University of Santa Maria. Areas of interest: cultural studies, television reception (telenovelas), gender relations, interaction, fandom, network participation, social media, media and identity, migrations, interculturality, social change, sustainability, environment, communication for change.

  • Marco Marão, Federal University of Santa Maria

    PhD candidate in Communication at the Graduate Program in Communication at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), specializing in Media and Contemporary Identities. Conducted a doctoral internship (Capes PrInt) at Loughborough University London under the supervision of Professor Thomas Tufte (PhD). Holds a Master's degree in Communication from the same program. Graduated in Social Communication - Digital Cinema from the Methodist University of São Paulo. Is a member of the research group "Uses and Non-uses of Communication Technologies and the Meaning of Common Life" (UFSM/CNPq). Research interests encompass the following topics: media reception and consumption studies, the use of communication technologies, communication and community, communication for social change, sustainability, media and social class, media and new social movements, media and youth identities, and media and fan studies.

  • Rafael Medeiros, Federal University of Santa Maria

    PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Communication at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). Holds a Master's degree in Communication from the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP). Completed undergraduate studies in Social Communication - Journalism at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and Advertising and Public Relations at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas). Currently works as a Radio and Television Programmer at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and is a member of the Social Uses of Media Research Group (UFSM) and the Convergence and Journalism Research Group (ConJor - UFOP). Affiliated with the Brazilian Association of Media History Researchers (Alcar). Research interests include the following themes and subjects: Media and self-sustainable communities; radio reception and consumption; university broadcasting; local broadcasting; identities and everyday representations.

capa da revista INTERCOM (volume 48 - ano 20225). sobre um fundo cinza, está o nome da revista, os dados da edição e as logomarcas da Intercom, da Capes, do CNPq e do governo do Brasil.

Downloads

Published

2025-04-02

Issue

Vol. 48 (2025)

Section

Entrevistas - Diálogos Midiológicos

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Dra Veneza Ronsini, Laura Foletto, Marco Marão, Rafael Medeiros

Creative Commons License

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

Copyright and Licensing Policy
Revista Intercom operates under an Open Access model. All journal content, including published articles, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise noted.
  • Copyright: Authors retain unrestricted copyright and full publishing rights to their work without restrictions.
  • License to Publish: Authors grant Revista Intercom the right of first publication. Concurrently, the work is licensed under CC BY 4.0, which permits sharing, copying, distributing, displaying, and creating derivative works, provided the original work is properly cited and ownership is acknowledged.
  • Self-Archiving: Authors are permitted and encouraged to deposit the published version of their articles (Version of Record) in institutional or thematic repositories immediately upon publication.
 

How to Cite

Dialogue of knowledges, Buen Vivir and participatory communication: : considering social change in the post-pandemic era. Intercom - Brazilian Journal of Communication Sciences, São Paulo, v. 48, p. e2025101, 2025. DOI: 10.1590/1809-58442025101pt. Disponível em: https://revistas.intercom.org.br/index.php/revistaintercom/article/view/4647. Acesso em: 11 jul. 2026.