This article examines social media’s role in the “online-offline nexus,” focusing on how digital interactions translate into sustained, large-scale, right-wing protests. Using Brazil as a case study, the research combines document analysis with non-participant observation in open right-wing Telegram groups and participant observation at the largest of Brazil’s 100 protest camps. At this camp in Brasília, supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, as in many other cities, gathered for 70 days between 2022 and 2023 to protest the 2022 presidential election won by Lula da Silva. The camps and online groups prominently displayed nationalist symbols and similar slogans such as “Stolen Election”, “SOS Armed Forces” and “Save Brazil,” reflecting the unified ideology of the self-called “patriots.” Social media—mainly through the (re)circulation of videos, posts, and dedicated content produced by and to demonstrators in Telegram and WhatsApp groups—proved essential in four stages: mobilizing , organizing , sustaining , and reorganizing . Introducing the concept of “boom-and-burst,” this study shows how the online-offline nexus both fostered collective identity and facilitated the logistical and ideological underpinnings of prolonged, site-specific demonstrations, actively encouraging violence. In Brazil, the overt support of many state actors, especially the army and police, also played a role. The cycle of intense digital enthusiasm translated into protest camps and, instead of the expected bust, ultimately escalated into acts of violence, with demonstrators planning bombings and vandalizing institutional sites in a disturbing sequel to the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

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“繁荣与爆发”：将巴西右翼“爱国”阵营的线上和线下元素联系起来

本文探讨了社交媒体在“线上-线下纽带”中的作用，重点关注数字互动如何转化为持续的、大规模的右翼抗议活动。该研究以巴西为案例研究，将文件分析与公开右翼 Telegram 群组中的非参与者观察以及巴西 100 个抗议营地中最大的参与者观察相结合。在巴西利亚的这个营地，前总统雅伊尔·博尔索纳罗的支持者与许多其他城市一样，在 2022 年至 2023 年期间聚集了 70 天，抗议卢拉·达席尔瓦赢得 2022 年总统选举。这些营地和在线群组醒目地展示民族主义标志和类似的口号，如“窃取的选举”、“SOS 武装部队”和“拯救巴西”，反映了自称为“爱国者”的统一意识形态。社交媒体——主要是通过（重新）传播由 Telegram 和 WhatsApp 群组中的示威者制作和向示威者制作的专用内容——被证明在四个阶段至关重要：动员、组织、维持和重组。本研究引入了“繁荣与爆发”的概念，展示了线上线下联系如何既促进了集体认同，又促进了长期的、针对特定地点的示威活动的后勤和意识形态基础，积极鼓励暴力。在巴西，许多国家行为体，特别是军队和警察的公开支持也发挥了作用。强烈的数字热情转化为抗议营地，而不是预期的崩溃，最终升级为暴力行为，示威者策划爆炸和破坏机构场所，这是 2021 年 1 月 6 日美国国会大厦袭击事件令人不安的续集。