Imagem corporal adolescente e consumo de conteúdo em mídias sociais: estudo em escolas públicas de Fortaleza

Abstract

A multidimensional phenomenon, body image needs to be problematized due to the physical, social, emotional and developmental repercussions that its negative construction can cause. This thesis chooses a qualitative transmethodological approach (Maldonado, 2002; 2008), anchored in the Cartography methodology (Martín-Barbero, 2004; Deleuze; Guattari, 2011; Passos; Kastrup; Escóssia, 2020), in dialogue with the social theory of Critical Discourse Analysis (Van Dijk, 1997; Fairclough, 2008; Melo, 2009;

Fairclough, 2012) and Cartographic Discourse Analysis (Deusdará; Rocha, 2021) to characterize the phenomenon more comprehensively. The aim is to investigate how adolescents’ perception of their body image is developed based on the consumption of media content on websites and social networks such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. The data considered came from a combination of bibliographical research, workshops, a questionnaire on body image and social media and a photo shoot. The field activities were carried out in two public high schools located in Fortaleza. The methodological approach indicated that 75% of the student sample (N= 153) fell within the spectrum of people with possible self-image difficulties and disorders, as well as other socially worrying nuances revealed by the workshops, such as propensity for eating disorders, a relationship with the body permeated by violences (such as harassment and abuse) and different kinds of psychological suffering. Another contribution is a protocol for approaching positive body image with adolescents, the L.E.M.E. Matrix (which includes ludic, listening, maker and educational-informational aspects in the treatment of the subject), an instrument that can be used by educators and facilitators who approach healthy self-esteem and self-image in the youth context. The entire research process was woven around the pillars of ethics, rights guarantee and preservation of adolescent agency. The results showed that the students’ relationship with their own bodies is permeated by media discourse, although they don’t feel vulnerable to this condition. We also noticed reflections on their self-image from the family, social (friendships and relationships with peers) and educational contexts in which they live. The fusion between the four aspects of the protocol and the meanings emerging from the field proved to generate transversality and bonding, and the combination of participatory devices pointed to ways in which young people can resist social media pressures and challenge the symbolic violence daily inflicted on adolescent bodies.