Comunicação e Resistência: O uso do WhatsApp pelo Movimento da População em Situação de Rua em Natal/RN

Abstract

This study investigates how WhatsApp is used within the activities of the National Movement of People in Street Situations in Rio Grande do Norte (MNPR‑RN), with a specific focus on Natal. The analysis is grounded in the concept of the human right to communication, considered essential for exercising citizenship, and critiques the concentration of media and its impact on this right. We contextualize the concept of homeless population and trace its historical development in Brazil, relying on Clóvis Moura’s influential work O negro: de bom escravo a mau cidadão? Moura’s analysis highlights how social elites have historically shaped narratives that position Black Brazilians as “good slaves” under slavery and as “bad citizens” in contemporary society. The study also offers an overview of WhatsApp as a digital platform and its varied usage across social sectors. In a case study, messages exchanged in the WhatsApp group “Oficinas – pop rua” were systematically collected and analyzed using Content Analysis methodology, guided by Bardin (1977) and operationalized through Cardoso (2021). Findings reveal that, for homeless populations, WhatsApp plays a crucial role in fostering artistic expression and building self-organized communicative networks. Additionally, independent media outlets — such as the agency Saiba Mais — emerge as essential platforms that amplify the voices of those historically marginalized.