Public Communication Strategies of a University in the Platform Society

This article aims to propose a discussion about public communication strategies of a university in the platform society (Van Dijck et al., 2018), focusing on the strategies of the sensitive (Sodré, 2006), capturing emotion (Charaudeau, 2010; 2013) and emotive forms of persuasive discourse (2019). Through content analysis (Sampaio & Licaryão, 2021), the content posted by the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) on Instagram during the first semester of 2023 (April to July) was analyzed in the categories of content format, information of public communication and focus on capturing emotion. The content posted on Instagram by UFG favored institutional public communication through carousels with cards or photos and seeked to trigger some emotions, for the most part, through the protagonism of students and employees, that is, by satisfying the desires and needs of the audience. The contents that generated the most engagement in the analyzed period were institutional public communication, but in the format of videos/Reels and triggering satisfaction of the audience's needs and desires through feelings of pride, emotions related to the institution issuing the communication (ethos) and figurative language through humor. The sensible strategies presented are visible, but little is debated about them in the context of public institution communication.