Tag: Rutino

Disparate bands of truckers turned to the messaging app to organize thousands of drivers in the largest and most effective truckers strike in the nation’s history. “We tried to do this many times before WhatsApp, but it has never been so successful,” said Rutino, who has been driving trucks for 40 years. The truckers strike began in mid-May. They quickly struck a deal to temporarily clear the highways in return for temporary cuts to fuel prices. Eight days into the strike, 87 percent of Brazilians supported the truckers, according to one poll. We had to identify the leadership at the base of the movement, which had been started through WhatsApp,” Da Costa said. Da Costa called these leaders in for a meeting and transmitted their requests to the state governor. The governor struck a deal with the representatives for lower state vehicle taxes and tolls, and mediated an accord with Temer to slash the cost of diesel. WhatsApp has become a depository for outrage against the political elite in a country with 35 political parties, where the line between corruption and compromise can be especially thin. Social networks increase the pressure and allow it to be organized pragmatically,” said Francisco Bosco, a philosopher who wrote a book about social media and political culture in Brazil.