Challenges and critical perspectives in intercultural communication between Brazil and Portugal: A case study on the “Brazilian Guiana” meme

This article discusses intercultural communicative practices in digital culture, within the context of intercultural relations between Brazil and Portugal, based on the case study of the meme “Guiana Brasileira” and its repercussions in the Lusophone sphere. The main objective is to problematise the ethical, cultural and communicative challenges involved in the contemporary production of content about immigration in Portugal, considering how the absence of critical and integrated training may encourage superficial and polarised discursive practices. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on a case study (Yin, 2018), combining empirical and statistical data with documentary sources to analyse communicative dynamics in digital environments. The analysis focuses on content production for social media and observes two levels of interaction: the role of digital influencers as cultural mediators and the horizontal exchanges within online communities. The findings underscore the need to rethink the intercultural training of communicators through the integration of critical, linguistic, and media competences. These competences should foster intercultural dialogue and reinforce discursive responsibility in contexts characterised by identity tensions and symbolic disputes.