Afetividade na comunicação de grupos e comunidades: um estudo da rede digital Tear dos Sonhos

Abstract

The main goal of this research is to investigate the influence of affectivity on the communication of groups and communities, and also to verify how this aspect acts in sustaining these groupings. In view of the experience in different groups, the fragility in the continuity or challenges in its conduction was observed. The establishment of the community proposal will be used in Tear dos Sonhos tool, an object chosen for the observation of its phenomena, which aims to achieve dreams through collective support between people. It is a recent phenomenon, and its performance is registered in Brazil from 2016, whose propagation occurs through orality among women who participate in the formation of “mandalas” (small groups). The proposal is to experience a new type of economy that is based on self-management by those who participate, and has the objective of supporting women to achieve their dreams through gifts materialized by donation in cash. The fact that this tool works as a digital grouping, was framed by the theme researched for the empirical test during the Covid-19 pandemic, throughout 2020 and 2021. From this perception, the role of communication for the consistency and maintenance of these collective arrangements is raised. Through this understanding, the research hypothesis is that the presence of affectivity in communication can be an important factor for the preservation and continuity of groups. For this, it was necessary to generate reflections and expand meanings around the definition of the term “affection”. The methodology used is the “participant observation”, by Peruzzo (2016), as it aims to actively participate in the analyzed object, seeing things from within, together with the “content analysis”, by Bardin (2011), so that the collected data can be quantified. In addition, we will use the support of the meaning of affection, according to the theoretical basis of Maffesoli (2014). Because it is an unusual or traditional phenomenon, the digital tool drew attention and curiosity, including the possible relevance of the study. Anchored on the ideas of Bauman (2001), Castells (2003) and Felice (2014), the research aims to reflect on the sense of community and cooperation today. In the midst of individualistic, material, competitive appeals and the large informational volume of technologies in the contemporary world, the role of digital connections in creating and maintaining social bonds is observed, allowing space for the formation of clusters that carry community sentiment. As a result, it was understood that affectivity in communication is one of the foundations for the continuity of the group, and the presence of affection was verified in most of the dialogues carried out.