Construção de sentidos sobre tecnologias em desenhos animados

Abstract

Cartoons are characterized as some of the first cultural artifacts with which we have contact in childhood. Social practices are portrayed and, often, technological devices are represented through cartoons. Among those represented devices, electronic and digital technologies are usually recurrent elements in several animations. Based on those factors, this research aims at analyzing representations of electronic and digital devices in cartoons in order to understand the impacts of those representations on our meaningmaking process regarding technologies. In order to achieve that objective, it was necessary to identify electronic and digital devices represented in cartoons and examine representations of social practices mediated by those devices in cartoons. This investigation was based on the following research questions: how are electronic and digital technologies represented in cartoons? What are the impacts of the representations on the meaning we make concerning the concept of technology? In the light of that, two premises were pointed out: the first premise asserts that the social practices represented usually differ from those widely spread in the time frame of the cartoons' release, or, in some cases, they portray practices mediated through technologies that had not reached general audience yet; the second premise declares that the devices are illustrated, in general, as means for performing mystical and supernatural activities, or for mediating conflicts and combats. In order to ground this research, theoretical references based on meaning-making (MENEZES DE SOUZA, 2011; COPE; KALANTZIS, 2020), technologies (SANTAELLA, 1997; LÉVY, 2010; LEMOS, 2021) were used, as well as references concerning the principles and historical overview of cartoons (LUCENA JÚNIOR, 2005; FOSSATTI, 2009). In regards to methodology, this study is classified as exploratory and documentary research (LAVILLE; DIONNE, 1999; FLICK, 2009), which is grounded on a qualitative perspective (BAUER; GASKELL, 2002) and inserted on the studies of Critical and Indisciplinary Applied Linguistics (MOITA LOPES, 2006). Scooby-Doo, Justice League, X-Men and Zeta Project were the cartoons selected for data generation. The following categories of analysis emerged from the data: computer, robot, means of transportation, visual effects, and industrial cities and spaces. In a nutshell, the results showed that the representations of electronic and digital devices analyzed in the cartoons propose strong visual and sound appeal, and they emphasize social practices focused on the integration of realities that expand and modify the physical and virtual presence of the characters.