Brazil is going through a political and economic turmoil, which culminated with the impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff. After twenty months of political instability and corruption scandals, Rousseff was definitely removed from power when the Brazilian Senate voted for the impeachment. From November 2014 to August 2016, millions of Brazilians protested in favor of the impeachment. There were massive street demonstrations and intense mobilization on social media, especially on Facebook. The organizations that called for the protests also were very active on their public pages, where they communicated messages and engaged protesters. The crime accusation against Rousseff and the impeachment proceedings were highly disputed in terms of legitimacy by the groups in favor and against Rousseff's ousting. In the period mentioned, pro impeachment groups were able to gather support for their narrative to justify the institutional rupture.
The process of meaning construction (Benford & Snow, 2000) is a crucial part of the process of mobilization (Tarrow, 2013). Colletive action frames are "action-oriented sets of beliefs and meanings" (Benford & Snow, 2000, p. 614) that are constructed by social movement organizations. These frames summarize experiences and organize action (Benford & Snow, 2000). Political actors build diagnostic, prognostic and motivational frames to inspire protesters and justify demands. With the recent popularization of the internet, the process of framing also takes place online. Social media platforms are political arenas (García, Von Bülow, Lezdema, & Chauveau, 2014) where social movement organizations dispute meanings and beliefs.
The process of framing, however, is embedded in the political and social context in which these groups act. Frames vary in terms of resonance, a feature that addresses their mobilizing potency (Benford & Snow, 2000, p. 619). One of the factors that account for frame resonance is its degree of credibility. High credibility results in broader support. Political events can be referenced to reinforce empirically the diagnostic and prognostic frames.
