Digital Citizenship and Consumption

Brands and consumers on social media

Résumé

Consumer Awareness is pointed out by the European Council as a basic competence for digital citizenship. Thus, understanding the new relationships established between consumers and brands in a digital environment is fundamental to critical and creative education in the face of a new social communication setting. The possibilities of interaction, collaboration and engagement offered by the virtual environment reveals a challenging context for both marketers and the development of literacy focused on marketing communication, in which the public is increasingly invited to participate in the construction of advertising messages. This relationship acquires even more complex contours in the alcoholic beverages sector, since it promotes a product that directly affects public health and, for this reason, its persuasive communication is subject to specific restrictions in several countries. This article explores the interaction on internet social media between the public and two Brazilian brands – Cachaça 51 and Catuaba Selvagem – in the period between August 2017 and February 2018. Through the analysis of interaction mechanisms, we seek to discuss: the collaboration of internet users to promote products and how they react to brand messages on responsible consumption. Thus, it is understood that this work also addresses the dimension health and wellness, another key concept for digital citizenship according to the European Council.