Crianças click e infâncias ciber na educação infantil: experiências com a cibercultura em meio a cultura local

Abstract

In contemporary society, individuals are generally influenced by a wide range of technological and media resources in their daily lives. This relationship contributes to the formation of concepts such as digital culture, cyberculture, and cyberspace, which operate socially, especially in the lives of children who are immersed in this context. This research aims to analyze the experiences of children in Early Childhood Education and their childhoods shaped by cyberculture within the local culture of a municipality in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The qualitative research, inspired by ethnography, was based on the theoretical contributions of authors who address the following concepts: technology, media, and digital culture (Kenski, 2012; Bortolazzo, 2020; Santaella, 2003); children and childhoods in the digital age (Dornelles, 2012; Veen & Vrakking, 2009; Buckingham, 2007; Momo, 2007); research with children (Oliveira, 2002; Kramer, 2005; Corsaro, 2011; Bujes, 2001; Muller, 2010); culture and cyberculture (Lévy, 2012; Costa, 2002; Hall, 1977); and ethnography (Geertz, 2002; Velho, 2004). The empirical research was carried out in two contexts: a public Early Childhood Education Center with eighteen children aged 5 to 6 years, and a rural area (a farm), where one of the participating children lives. Conducted from March to September 2024, the research involved weekly or biweekly visits to the institution and four visits to the rural site. Data collection tools included a field diary, voice recorder, photographs, video recordings, and drawings. Three analytical axes were developed: (1) children’s play, online searches, and digital interactions; (2) experiences in cyberspace and the construction of contemporary childhood identities; and (3) the experiences of a child living in a rural area and their navigation between local culture and global digital influences. The findings show that children demonstrated knowledge and engagement with cyberculture through activities such as conducting searches, playing games, communicating with family and friends, taking selfies, sending voice messages, making video calls, and accessing digital platforms. These experiences contribute to the formation of their ways of being, acting, and connecting with the world within their local cultural context.