The relationship between the meanings of digital media

Abstract

This article addresses the contribution of digital media in structuring urban practices, exploring how students and teachers make sense of urban signs, spaces, and buildings around the school. The objective of this study is to analyze the functions and meanings of urban and digital media in the process of creating a sense of belonging and territorial identity. Participants were adolescents residing in the periphery of the metropolitan region of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, through the use of media in the urban context. The study employed a qualitative methodology with techniques that included participant and passive observation, as well as the use of digital ethnography techniques to capture evidence that allows for inferences about the meanings participants attribute to their different dispositions. Data analysis allowed for an understanding of how young people from the outskirts of Recife attribute meanings to their relationships with space through the use of media in urban spaces. This study demonstrated that the mentioned media play an important role in structuring situated educational practices with students and teachers. Their understanding can provide valuable insights and guidelines to guide the development of ubiquitous digital educational technologies and heritage education.