Volatile Opinions: Public Opinion and the Construction of Meaning

Abstract

The book *Volatile Opinions: Public Opinion and the Construction of Meaning* (2019), by Luiz Alberto de Farias, analyzes the formation of public opinion in a context marked by information overload, digital media, and disinformation. The author argues that opinions are unstable social constructs, influenced by technical mediations, interests, affections, and disputes over meaning. This review relates the book's arguments to data from the ICT Panel – Information Integrity (2026) and the debate surrounding Bill 2,630/2020, highlighting the role of digital platforms in the circulation of information and fake news. The data show weaknesses in information literacy and content verification, exacerbated by the use of artificial intelligence and deepfakes. The text concludes that the regulation of digital platforms is necessary to guarantee greater transparency, accountability, and democratic quality in the public sphere.