Atenção em disputa e o potencial viciante do TikTok: uma análise crítica considerando adolescentes brasileiros

Abstract

Drawing on Science, Technology, and Society (STS) studies and the Critical Political Economy of Communication (EPC), we define the central question of this dissertation: in what ways do the design elements of digital platforms, with an emphasis on TikTok, foster problematic technology-use patterns among Brazilian adolescents, and how do such patterns reconfigure the very process of adolescence? The focus lies on the sociotechnical mechanisms of persuasive design and algorithmic retention embedded in digital platforms, as well as their effects on adolescent formation. Theoretically, we highlight the articulation between the critique of the commodification of attention, forms of exploitation within a mode of surveillance capitalism (Zuboff, 2018), and the effects on digital subjectivation, drawing especially on authors such as Bentes (2021), Williams (2018), Schüll (2012), and Bolaño and Vieira (2014). This analysis is guided by the hypothesis that TikTok, by combining sophisticated engagement strategies with the absence of adequate regulation, facilitates the creation of digital products and services that can induce problematic internet use and reinforce psychosocial vulnerabilities during adolescence. The study is therefore significant for its effort to systematize an evidence-based critique grounded in the Brazilian literature on adolescents’ experiences on digital platforms. To this end, we conducted a systematic literature review and a documentary analysis of institutional reports, statistical data, legislation, and technical notes addressing the tensions and opportunities of digital transformation as they relate to Brazilian adolescents. The results indicate that TikTok can intensify excessive-use practices, thus inducing problematic use, through a business model consolidated around persuasive design mechanisms and algorithmic strategies that prolong adolescents’ exposure time, shaping behavioral patterns, while simultaneously revealing limitations in parental mediation and in the implementation of adequate school-based digital literacy. We conclude that a critical understanding of the phenomenon requires an interdisciplinary approach that considers both the structural dimension of platforms and their effects on autonomy and well-being, underscoring the urgency of emancipatory educational policies, adolescent-centered regulation, and multisector accountability measures.