Watching the 2016 Olympics on Brazil’s alternative media: From platform hijack to discourse autonomy

Abstract

This article analyses the alternative media coverage of the 2016 Olympics from the perspective of an emerging literature on ‘platform hijack’ of media events. By conducting a frame analysis (n = 60), we explore the extent to which alternative media producers have sought to seize the attention from the Olympics to their agendas or issues. While they expectedly appeared emphasising the damaging effects over communities, results otherwise suggest no intent to directly ‘hijack’ the Olympics’ platforms, as seen in past episodes of disruptive activism. Instead, we propose interpreting the evidence as indicative of discourse autonomy, which adds nuances to the way in which alternative media producers prefer to remain tied to their local issues even during global media events.