PRÁTICAS DISCURSIVAS E ESPETACULARIZAÇÃO DE MULHERES QUE USAM DROGAS: uma história do presente

Abstract

This study problematizes the discursive practices that associate femininity with drugs, highlighting how social media, particularly Facebook, acts in the production and circulation of meanings that shape public perceptions. In the central thesis, we start from the hypothesis that in the history of the present, the stigmatization of women who use drugs is spectacularized and constituted from discourses inscribed in gender norms, social stereotypes and power relations. That said, we intend to discuss the following research questions: how are discourses about femininity and drugs produced and reproduced in the Facebook media? How do these discourses shape the public perception of women and drug use? How do discursive practices contribute to the history construction of the present of women who use and abuse psychoactive substances? To discuss them, this research has the general objective of problematizing the discursive practices between femininity and drugs, focusing on the production and reproduction of meanings through the social media Facebook. The specific objectives include: 1. Discussing how and which linguistic marks of subjectivity appear in the statements; 2. Understanding how discourses construct “truths” about women; 3. Problematizing these supposed truths in relation to power and knowledge; and, 4. Investigating discursive practices and their influence on history and memory. Our base is on the discursive-deconstructive proposal (Coracini, 2007; Foucault, 2007; Derrida, 1995; Lacan, 1985b) and the archeogenealogical perspective developed in Foucault’s research (1979; 2007). Our corpus are transcriptions of two videos broadcast live on the Facebook page “Pai resgatando vidas”. The name refers to an institution that shelters people (often homeless) on drug use/abuse while also monitoring them with cameras. The reproduction of practices that associate femininity with drugs is intensified by sharing and liking mechanisms, which prioritize content that evokes emotional reactions and creates filter bubbles, reinforcing preexisting beliefs and increasing the spread of stigmas. The results demonstrate that the spectacularization of private lives on social media, especially in live broadcasts, is interpreted as a manifestation of power that transforms private events into public performances, characterizing identities and behaviors according to social expectations. The research is divided into four parts: the first, “From the state of the art to research methodology”, reviews studies on the relation between femininity and drugs, justifying the dissertation’s relevance and presenting its methodology; the second, “Historical intertwining: between femininity and drugs”, analyzes how the media, especially Facebook, constructs narratives about female drug users; the third, “Practices of the self: an analysis of the subjectivities at stake”, investigates the discursive practices and power relations involved; and the fourth, “Discursive event: an analysis of life spectacularization”, explores the life spectacularization of others and its impact on collective memory. Therefore, the research integrates the debate on gender, media and power, in addition to offering a critical look at the discursive practices that construct the history and memory of women in the drug use context. Keywords: Discursive practices; Spectacularization; Feminine; Drugs.