É cloroquina ou meme? Gestão da vida, pandemia e uma biografia cultural do medicamento no Twitter durante a emergência da COVID-19 no Brasil

Abstract

The research presented aimed to analyze the themes associated with chloroquine in internet memes that circulated on Twitter during the critical period of the pandemic, between March and July 2020. The investigation uses a qualitative approach, centered on content analysis and thematic coding of memes, carried out using the Atlas.ti software, allowing a detailed understanding of emerging patterns and narratives. The study is located at the intersection between communication and health, examining how memes not only reflect political and social tensions, but also reveal power dynamics, in a context of biopolitics, and the precariousness of life during the health crisis. The methodology included data collection through the Twitter API and thematic analysis of memes, identifying their characteristics, formats and narrative agendas. The results highlight the role of chloroquine as a political and social symbol, inserted in a context of misinformation and polarization, and highlight how these cultural artifacts impacted public perception about the management of the pandemic and the use of controversial treatments. The study suggests that memes, as communicational manifestations, played a significant role in the construction of discourses on public health and politics, offering a critical view on the administration of life during a period of health emergency