Juventude cearense: tecnologias digitais da informação e comunicação como ferramentas de participação política e cívica

Abstract

In 2022, a significant drop in the number of young voters over the past thirty years has been observed. As a way to generate engagement, several organizations used platforms and social networks to share campaigns to encourage young people to vote in elections. However, there are several challenges faced by this age group with regard to politics, the use of Digital Information and Communication Technologies (TDICs) and coexistence in the digital environment. This work intended to understand how young people from Ceará use TDICs as a tool for political and civic participation, given the increasingly significant insertion of TDICs in society, the growing digital presence of young people and the access challenges that arise from this scenario. In order to understand the presence of TDICs in the daily lives of citizens, the thinking of Machado (2016), Corrêa and Brandemberg (2022) and Anjos e Silva (2018) was brought up. The discussion continues with the interactions made possible by digital environments with Martino (2014), as well as with the concept of “us” (CASTELLS, 2005), cyberspace (LÉVY, 1999), social movements on the Internet (CASTELLS, 2013) and Society of Information (WERTHEIN, 2000). Then, the discussion on Internet access in brazilian reality also begins, with research from the Regional Center for Studies for the Development of the Information Society. Then, Ribeiro and Pulino (2019) and Silva (2016) integrate the debate on the theme of political youth in the digital context. Once these issues were understood, the methodology involved holding focus groups and applying individual questionnaires, with the aim of listening to young people about what they think about problem situations proposed by the researcher with the themes of digital citizenship, democracy and youth voting, engagement civic and political online, public service online, active citizenship and representativeness in politics. It was noticed that being politically active was an issue that raised doubts among young people, even after discussions on citizen issues, proposals for solutions for the city, demonstrations in collective environments (such as at school and on social networks) and mentioning that it is necessary to , to exercise citizenship, monitor the mandates of elected representatives. From the experience in the field, the participants reported experiences such as actions of the student union of their school, creation of movement in social networks against fake news through hashtags and sharing of images in defense of the collective cause, proposed solutions for the related problems, for example, transport, food, education, activities dedicated to youth, everyday life at school, among other topics mentioned throughout the focus group, demonstrating a political and transformative vision of the world around them.