Community-Based Communication Technologies and Environmental Disinformation: Digital Resilience Under Far-Right Threats

Amid the polycrisis of Covid-19 pandemic and disinformation, rural Traditional Peoples and Communities in Brazil demonstrated remarkable resilience. This article examines the social mobilization strategies developed by 33 communities between 2020 and 2022, highlighting the community-based communication technologies used for collective action. Traditional Peoples and Communities are local groups with territorial ties and empirical knowledge who are recognized as key actors in environmental and natural resource protection. Although they play a crucial ecological role, there is a research gap on how these communities developed communicative strategies to strengthen resilience against disinformation during the pandemic. Guided by participatory and action research epistemology, the study involved 274 family representatives across nine Brazilian states from the Atlantic Coast, combining a multi-method approach. Data collection included questionnaires quantifying media access and internet usage alongside conversation circles and community mapping documenting communication practices. The results make explicit that Traditional Peoples and Communities faced two main types of disinformation: regarding Covid-19 vaccination and related to land use and speculation. In a context of limited digital connectivity, they developed communal internet practices—such as broadband sharing—that supported collective organization and information exchange. Besides, two experiences stood out: community health workers’ efforts to counter vaccine disinformation, and community leaders’ use of online meeting platforms to promote social mobilization in the face of environmental disinformation. Findings underscore how community-based communication technologies can foster political agency and strengthen resilience against disinformation.