The Views of the Youth on the Potential for Dialogue by Means of Digital Media through Paulo Freire’s Perspective

Abstract

espanolEste articulo pretende analizar las percepciones de un grupo de jovenes brasilenos usuarios de medios digitales sobre el papel de Internet como medio capaz de favorecer el dialogo entre ellos y los politicos elegidos en la esfera politica, a partir de la pedagogia de Paulo Freire. La metodologia seleccionada, de caracter cualitativo, se basa en entrevistas semiestructuradas en profundidad con 13 jovenes en Sao Paulo y Bahia participantes del programa de participacion politica online U-Report. Los resultados sugieren que Internet tiene un papel limitado en los procesos dialogicos entre los entrevistados. Ademas, estos jovenes demuestran ser conscientes de la situacion del pais y de los mecanismos estructurantes de los medios digitales. EnglishThis article seeks to analyse the perceptions of a group of young Brazilians digital media users, on the role of the Internet as a means to facilitating dialogue between them and their elected representatives in the political sphere, based on the presuppositions of Paulo Freire’s pedagogy. The methodology focused on the use of qualitative approaches which involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews with thirteen young people from Sao Paulo and Bahia who participate in the online political participation program, U Report. The findings suggest that the Internet is seen as having a limited role in dialogic processes by those interviewed, who also demonstrate that they are aware of the national situation and the structuring mechanisms of digital media.