Do letreiro ao Instagram: a performatividade da comunicação visual das bancas do mercado central no ambiente digital

Abstract

The importance of social media in the construction of identity narratives and in the mediation of cultural practices has intensified in recent decades, particularly in the context of communicational transformations driven by digitalization. This scenario has become more prominent, leading various cultural agents, including traditional market vendors, to migrate their communication practices to digital platforms. This research investigates the adaptation and performativity of the visual communication of market stalls at the Mercado Central de Goiânia on Instagram. Despite the growing presence of small businesses and cultural initiatives on social media, there remains a lack of studies examining how traditional forms of visual communication, rooted in orality, vernacular visuality and popular culture, are reconfigured within this new ecosystem. A gap persists in understanding the impacts of this digital migration on the construction of these stalls' visual identities and on the affective and symbolic engagement with their audiences. This dissertation aims to analyze how the visual communication of these stalls adapts to and performs in the digital environment, particularly on Instagram, examining its effects on identity construction and user interaction. The methodology combines literature review, field observation with photographic records of the stalls, and a qualitative analysis of Instagram profiles and posts, interpreted through the lens of cultural performances. The results reveal that the visual communication of the stalls undergoes processes of resignification and reinvention in the digital space. Traditional visual elements such as signage, color palettes and compositions typical of popular commerce are adapted or reinterpreted in social media posts. It was also observed that online engagement is closely linked to the perceived authenticity and the continuity of the cultural aesthetics present in the physical spaces. The study concludes that, although not all communication objectives are fully achieved in the digital realm, there is an active appropriation of Instagram as an extension of their cultural performances. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the tensions and possibilities that emerge at the interface between tradition and digitality, especially regarding the visuality of urban popular spaces.