Os dad bloggers e a mediação da paternidade no ecossistema digital do Brasil e de Portugal

Abstract

The Internet and digital communication have influenced certain parenting behaviors and decisions of a new generation of parents. With the appearance of the first mommy bloggers, a new digital phenomenon was unleashed. Although it is still seen as a predominantly female universe, in recent years this conception has been deconstructed by a group of men who proudly call themselves dad bloggers. Existing literature has shown that conventional and archaic thoughts about masculinity are an obstacle to the evolution of men's status in fatherhood. As such, these men face several challenges and prejudices in the digital ecosystem, as they break the hegemonic matrix associated with contemporary masculinity. Methodologically, this research aims to understand what type of communication dad bloggers use in their publications – whether commercial, motivational or educational – while also analyzing how these men have had to reject various stereotypes associated with masculinity and the traditional man. The objectives of the study were therefore to find out about the thematic agenda of the dad bloggers' parenting posts and to assess whether parenting in a digital context can promote educational patterns associated with new masculinities. To this end, the research chose to adopt a qualitative approach, combining semi-structured interviews with a categorical content analysis of the last 10 parenting posts by the 15 Portuguese and Brazilian dad bloggers selected for the study. The results concluded that the dad bloggers are committed to mobilizing their digital audience for their offline parallel business projects, with a view to monetizing their followers. It was also found that dad bloggers reject the traditional stereotypes associated with the father's performance in parenting and that they tear up the hegemonic masculine ideology, seeking to promote educational standards that are consistent with new understandings of masculinities in modernity.

Date of Award	17 Jul 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Carla Ganito (Supervisor)