Federal deputy André Janones (Rede-MG) stated that he has nothing to teach President Lula (PT) about communication and that the PT member does not need to learn how to use social media.
"Lula is the greatest communicator in the history of this country", he said this Tuesday (20), upon leaving the hospital in São Paulo, where he was admitted with cardiac arrhythmia in the early hours of Monday (19) after following the PT member's debate against Flávio Bolsonaro (PL).
For the deputy, it is up to Lula to continue exploring his own charisma, while younger allies take charge of translating his communication into the digital environment.
"Lula simply needs us to do the work on social media while he shines," he said, comparing the president to Argentine Lionel Messi, who, although brilliant, would need younger players to run for him.
Janones is the creator of the Lula Army channel, which brings together more than 5.6 million supporters on WhatsApp and has become one of the main digital mobilization tools for the re-election campaign. The deputy guides the group's members on how to act on the networks, with coordinated engagement actions and dissemination of messages favorable to the president.
For Janones, Lula had one of the best performances of his career in the debate against Flávio. The parliamentarian highlights the president's ability to produce cuts that go viral, resort to humor and explore his own charisma. As an example, he cited the moment when, after his opponent tried to corner him by asking why the majority of inmates eligible to vote chose him at the polls, the president stated that he even wanted the vote of his father, Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The speech became a meme and was translated into several languages.
The deputy says that his strategy for the last days of the campaign does not follow a fixed script. "In fact, there is no strategy, because elections are moments, they are feelings." He said that he constantly monitors reactions on social networks via cell phone and decides, based on them, what content to publish on the channel.
Janones claims that the left managed to overcome the right on digital platforms and that the change can be reflected at the polls. “The far right will never have hegemony on social media again,” he said.
He attributes the result to the dissemination of knowledge about algorithms and digital mobilization, which, according to him, is no longer restricted to his team.
Janones' thesis is the following: engagement in networks anticipates movements captured by electoral polls. He cited a Folha report that points to better electoral performance of the candidates who were leading on social media. The data, however, does not in itself demonstrate that digital popularity determines the result at the polls.
For the second round, Janones defended a campaign based on argument, without intensifying attacks on Jair Bolsonaro's son. The objective, he states, should be to mobilize those who did not vote in the first round and win over those who are undecided.
He also makes a distinction between ideological Bolsonarists and Flávio voters who vote for the candidate because they consider him better than Lula. "We can still convince this guy if we bring him into the argument."
Janones was hospitalized after experiencing cardiac arrhythmia and shortness of breath, after watching the presidential debate. He announced to his virtual troop that he would speak at a time handpicked to reflect his PT number, at 1:13 p.m., after he was discharged.
He attributed the clinical condition to poor diet and a poor sleep routine in recent days, of a maximum of three hours per night. There was no "strong emotion" in the debate nor any provocation he suffered from Bolsonaro supporters, at least one that he remembers, he said.
