A experiência digital no período de confinamento: relatos de estudantes da geração Z

In this article we intend to provide visibility to students’ experiences of lockdown and draw attention to the impact of the digital world. We used an approach in which this phenomenon is taken as a total social fact that is mirrored, theoretically and methodologically, by the most recent contributions of Digital Sociology. This paper shows part of the results of an exploratory study that focuses on the digital experience of 43 young first year undergraduate students of Católica Porto Business School. These students reflected, while writing biographical narratives, on their experiences during the first wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, which forced a period of lockdown. The data collected allowed us, on one hand, to understand the role played by social networks during a period of imposed physical isolation during which face-to-face contacts were discouraged and, on the other hand, what was a unique experience, worldwide in scope, of the implementation of distance learning. Results show that these students, born in a generation which emerged in the internet era and which, to that extent, have a strong relationship with the digital world, had in the social networks an ally against isolation and physical remoteness. Results also reveal that these students have come to associate these media with feelings of discomfort and exhaustion. At the same time, the imposition of distance learning without any kind of preparation on the part of schools, teachers and students had consequences that were predicted to be disastrous. However, the dissatisfaction of these students with this form of teaching is practically generalised, not only due to the lack of preparation of schools, but also to the difficulties of adjustment of teachers, in an environment in which students felt more susceptible to distraction mechanisms and in which they admitted it was more difficult to maintain concentration during classes.