Habit of rising early for livestreams growing rapidly, suggesting Brazil is testing ground for religious influencers
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sychologist Cláudia Rodrigues de Oliveira Barbosa, 54, needs to be at work by 7.40am, but she wakes up at 3.40am – not because she has a lengthy commute, but to watch a “dawn prayer” livestream on YouTube.
She is one of the millions of Brazilians who tune in to the 4am sermons of Catholic friar Gilson da Silva Pupo Azevedo, 38, known as Frei Gilson, who has recently averaged an impressive 2m daily views for each video.
“Some people find it odd that I wake up so early to pray with him, but it’s a time when the house is quiet and you’re disconnected from the world,” said Barbosa, who lives with her husband and two teenage boys.
