Monetization of politics: the new frontier of equality in digital electoral campaigns
Monetization. Social Media. Political speech. Election campaigns. Electoral propaganda. Internet. Isonomy. Abuse.
Money is essential for the development of electoral campaigns. It enables electoral propaganda, including in digital media. Voting, which is the right made possible by the electoral process, is, however, a non-negotiable value. Furthermore, the Brazilian Constitution instructed, in its art. 14, § 9, that the legislator observe rules aligned with the protection of the legitimacy and normality of elections against the undue influence of economic power. In the digital world, where political actors have access to a variety of advertising tools on social media platforms, many of which are used to generate profit, maintaining a balance between the use of money in campaigns and the constitutional protection against the undue influence of economic power in the electoral process presents a great challenge. Based on electoral rules, to what extent is it lawful to monetize the political discourse inherent in electoral campaigns on social media? This paper seeks to demonstrate the relationship between money and discourse in electoral campaigns, as well as the mechanisms for containing abuses and ensuring equality contained in Brazilian electoral legislation. It then addresses the methods and tools for monetizing content on social networks and, finally, demonstrates the legal implications of monetizing political-electoral content in electoral campaigns carried out in the digital environment.