Ciberinfância: a infância em metamorfose

Abstract

Through the method of Hermeneutics, the present bibliographical study, supported by past and present researchers, aims to investigate the presence of digital technologies in childhood, or, the phenomenon recognized as cyberchildhood. The general objective of this study is to analyze the childhood use of technologies. More specifically, this research aims to: (i) Present to the reader literature about the cyberchildhood theme; (ii) Debate about the contrasts between childhood and cyberchildhood and (iii) Promote a critical-reflective approach to historical-cultural changes in childhood and the repercussions of the use of technology by children and youngsters. In general, this research aims to contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon, consequently helping to improve teaching practices and unraveling the implications of the presence of digital media in children’s development. In addition to reflecting on aspects related to childhood without the strong presence of technology, this research also covers the process of acquiring social skills, acceleration and consumption inherent to the childhoods permeated by technology. Therefore, the present work has as its research problem the following question: What indications does the analyzed literature present about how digital technologies influence childhood in contemporary times? This problem unfolds into four more guiding questions, namely: (i) What has changed in childhood?; (ii) What is cyberchildhood?; (iii) What does cyberchildhood change in childhood as a modus vivendi?; (iv) How does the analyzed literature characterize the influence of digital technologies on the behavior of children from the second half of the 20th century onwards? In view of this, the present study is linked to the line of research “Teacher Training: Educational Knowledge and Practices” of the Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Program in Education at the Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul. Aiming to achieve the proposed objectives, to establish the theoretical links and to support the proposed hermeneutic dialogue, a nucleus of reference works was created, comprising works by Pierre Lévy, George Herbert Mead, John Dewey, Francisco Rüdiger, André Lemos, Leni Vieira Dornelles, Paula Sibilia, Manuel Castells, Vin Ween, David Buckingham, Ben Vrakking, Neil Postmann, John Palfrey, Urs Gasser, among other authors who address topics related to the object of research. Thus, research through the interpretation of the authors' works provides a hermeneutic dialogue between them on themes that transcend childhood and cyberchildhood, such as: the cultural historical movement of childhood, its conceptual variations; the repercussions of childhood throughout individuals' lives and their importance for the development of social skills; the concepts of technology, cyberculture, virtuality, cyberspace, consumerism and acceleration. When carrying out the research on screen, it was clear that cyber childhood or the use of digital technologies by children and adolescents is a topic that ends up opening up a wide range of aspects to be considered. Each of these, on its own, could be the subject of independent research. Elements such as acceleration, consumerism, lack of limits, health, development, relationship and interaction problems are linked to the phenomenon researched and certainly deserve more research focused on each of them.