E-participação política em Moçambique: análise do impacto das redes sociais da internet na formação da opinião pública dos jovens activistas da cidade de Maputo (2023-2024)

Abstract

Mozambique has been undergoing a political transformation marked by social inequalities and growing distrust in traditional mechanisms of representation. In this context, new forms of political participation have emerged, mediated by Internet-based social networks, particularly in the city of Maputo, the country’s digital and decision- making center. Platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, X, and YouTube have become spaces for expression, mobilization, and the construction of political narratives, facilitating the circulation of dissenting discourses and promoting alternative forms of engagement. Young activists, by appropriating these digital environments, reshape public debate and challenge the boundaries of conventional citizenship. The engagement of diverse actors in digital environments including young activists illustrates how their presence on social media influences everyday decisions, collective emotions, and mobilization processes, particularly in a context marked by institutional distrust and the fragility of traditional structures of representation. This study offers a critical reflection on the impact of Internet-based social networks on public opinion formation among young activists in Maputo, between 2023 and 2024. Based on a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with activists aged 18 to 35, complemented by netnographic observation in digital environments. This research was guided by Agenda-Setting Theory and theoretical frameworks on the public sphere, political communication, and digital culture. The findings indicate that social networks function as hybrid spaces of visibility, contestation, and political narrative construction, where communicative action, discursive plurality, and the unpredictability of engagement contribute to the development of critical public opinion.