Cibercorpos juvenis femininos em “dancinhas” compartilhadas no TikTok: por uma educação ciberfeminista

Abstract

The master's research investigates the meanings of feminine cyberbodies in “dancinhas” (short dance videos) produced and shared on TikTok. For this purpose, I align myself with post-structuralism, aiming to explore new possibilities and methodological paths inspired by the desire to build/experiment with alternative routes. I adopt online cartography (Felipe Carvalho and Fernando Pocahy) in the fieldwork conducted on TikTok, and I center my theoretical reflections mainly around the concepts of cyberculture (Edméa Santos, André Lemos, and Lúcia Santaella), cyberbody (Leonardo Nolasco-Silva and Tania Lucía Maddalena), youth (Paulo Carrano and Juarez Dayrell), and heteronormativity (Guacira Louro, Paul Preciado, and Judith Butler). Between April 2023 and March 2025, I mapped videos and comments produced and disseminated by users on TikTok, recognizing them as an invitation to reflect on the contested meanings of female bodies in the age of cyberculture. Based on this field mapping, I also emphasize the scarcity of research that explores the educational potential of the platform in shaping new ways of thinking/looking at youth in connection with the social markers of gender, sexuality, and corporality. In this context, I have been investigating dance videos produced and shared by young people, while also analyzing the comments posted by users regarding this content. The empirical material was organized and interpreted using four categories: (1) sexualization and harassment; (2) aesthetic and intellectual devaluation; (3) religious surveillance; and (4) prohibition of mobile phone use in schools. The research revealed how feminine cyberbodies are constantly targeted by gender regulatory norms, becoming frequent subjects of hypersexualized and harassing comments. Besides being objectified, these cyberbodies have their aesthetics questioned and are perceived as bodies that “only dance, but do not think,” reinforcing the body-intellect dichotomy and contributing to the denial of these young women’s agency. Additionally, their performances are subject to surveillance often rooted in moral and religious values. I also identified the urgency of fostering debates on the use of mobile devices in and out of school, recognizing their communicative potential and how these cultural artifacts mediate social relationships and influence the construction of youth subjectivities. In light of this, I recognize the need to invest in a cyberfeminist education that challenges heteronormativity and values the multiplicity of youth existences and experiences in times of cyberculture.