X Court: social tolerance of environmental infractions and lay authorities

Abstract

Environmental protection, a shared responsibility between society and the state, requires action from the latter in the face of violations. The case of the digital influencer who gained prominence in society by displaying on his social networks a capybara in humanized and unnatural situations sparked polarized debate after receiving a fine from Ibama. Analyses of tweets showed strong opposition from users of the social network X to the agency's actions. In addition to revealing high social tolerance for environmental violations, the data indicates that users displayed contempt for Ibama. Politicians and public figures led the discussion on the social networks, with their highly viral tweets opposing Ibama, although these individuals specifically lack the technical qualifications to lead the debate from a legal, scientific, or environmentally responsible perspective. Despite the role of social networks in informal environmental education, the dissemination of inaccurate information was common in the dispute and demands strategies to make these environments safer, ensuring the maintenance of legal order, legally established institutions, and restricting the spread of notably false information.