WHAT POLITICAL DISCOURSES PERMEATE THE CONTENT OF BRAZIL'S TOP DIGITAL FINANCE INFLUENCERS IN 2025: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL INFLUENCERS

Abstract

This paper analyzes the political discourses disseminated by Brazilian digital influencers in the personal finance niche on YouTube during the first half of 2025. The aim is to understand how content presented as educational or technical incorporates ideological elements that interact with contemporary political and social disputes. The study adopts discourse analysis based on the post-structuralist theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, which conceives discourse as a constitutive social practice and a space of symbolic struggle. The corpus consists of videos published on the channels Me Poupe, O Primo Rico, Gustavo Cerbasi, and Nath Finanças, selected due to their reach and relevance in the Brazilian digital context. Preliminary findings suggest that, although framed as financial education, these contents mobilize chains of equivalence, antagonisms, and empty signifiers that shape political narratives. Among the results, we highlight the emphasis on individual discipline as a solution to indebtedness, the valorization of financial freedom in opposition to the State, and the construction of a collective identity of economic inclusion. We conclude that these discourses contribute to the naturalization of neoliberal and meritocratic ideologies, shaping perceptions of citizenship, responsibility, and social mobility.