Discurso, poder e identidades no Orkut

Abstract

Because Orkut has gained prominence in recent years and given the scope and the possibilities that the Internet provides and the supposed common idea of democracy as a free space in which anyone can do and say anything, it is necessary to consider to what extent and how power relations and discipline circulate in this spatiality, producing, among other things, identities. The present work aims to investigate how discourses and power circulate and operate in the construction of identities in Orkut, since it is not possible to speak freely in this space, because there are discursive practices delimiting the constitution of identities, which suffer tensions and regulations. It is taken as theoretical foundation the notions of speech, subject and power developed by Michel Foucault. The corpus consists of the tools contained in Orkut that define what one is allowed to say, how one is allowed to circulate, and what one is allowed to be, which are divided into two parts: i) using policies, such as Orkut limits of what can and cannot be said and how the profile is given to move, and ii) profile: filling rules, what users mention about themselves according to the categories already given, how users describe themselves in about me , how they control the access, how it is given the representation by others through the testimony, in addition to the items of friends classification, friends suggestion, popularity and audience. As a result we find that the operation of Orkut gives more strategic power and less by the power law and is a more obvious power that encourages circulation. Along with the powers, the identity is carried constituted on Orkut to be seen as a set of subjectivities, trademarks, indications of consumption for the cultural industry.