BOLHA INFORMACIONAL E APRENDIZAGEM NA ERA DIGITAL: um estudo em escolas do ensino médio do Sul de Minas Gerais

Abstract

According to the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, 24.3 million children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 17 use the Internet. This number corresponds to 86% of the total number of people in this age group in the country, and about 20 million children and adolescents have profiles on Social Networking Sites (SNS). In this context, the present study aims to identify the influence of SNS on the learning perception of high school students in southern Minas Gerais. Methodologically, the study is characterized as quantitative approach, hypothetical-deductive logic, and positivist epistemology. Through techniques of descriptive statistics, cluster, variance analysis, simple and multiple linear regression, and Structural Equation Modeling, a total of 1361 responses were obtained and, of these, 1255 were considered valid. The results suggest that SNS are relevant and positively influence learning in the school environment. Furthermore, it was observed that high school students in southern Minas Gerais consider the information they acquire from SNS as more relevant than the information received at school. The explanation for this perception may be associated with a process that begins with a greater use of SNS as the main means of communication to keep informed. In this sense, crystallization occurs through the influence of invisible filters existing in SNS that tend to form social and digital content bubbles. Adolescents create a reality formed by their online social ties and guided by the information consumed from the various SNS that are part of their daily lives.