Crack-cocaine users and reception of an anti-drug television campaign

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss how the reception and appropriation of symbolic forms interfere in daily life. We intend to show some of the social representations that crack-cocaine users have in relation to the symbolic forms presented on an anti-drug television campaign. The fieldwork was a Psychosocial Care Center-Alcohol and Drugs (CAPS AD) located in a countryside city in Brazil. To gather information, we used different strategies: participant observation, field diary and focus groups. The results suggest that the content of the media modifies and is modified by the self of the receptor and that the mass media have contributed to the creation and maintenance of relations of dominance of different types.