Para além das “dancinhas”: o TikTok como um ecossistema comunicativo de ensinagem.

Abstract

Technology and society have always advanced together, but the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this process, especially in education, making technology a crucial element in teaching-learning dynamics. Digital technologies began to mediate human interactions more broadly, becoming deeply integrated into contemporary culture. In the context of media and social networks, this relationship becomes even more evident. Applications focused on communication, information sharing, and social interaction have significantly influenced language use. Considering the relationship between language ⬄ society ⬄ culture, this study situates the rise of the TikTok app as an influential component of digital culture. These ecosystems may foster learning, as students, by participating in these spaces, have the opportunity to become protagonists in the educational process (Xavier; Serafim, 2020, p. 61). Based on this context, the research was guided by the following question: How does TikTok function as a Communicative Teaching-Learning Ecosystem for academic writing? The general objective of this study was to investigate how social language practices in posts and online comments contribute to the platform’s functioning as a teaching-learning environment for writing scientific articles. Specifically, the study aimed to: I) analyze how user-teachers (eductokers) teach academic writing on TikTok; II) examine how interactions on the platform contribute to the construction of a Communicative Teaching-Learning Ecosystem and provoke learning effects through online comments; III) investigate the eductokers’ guidance regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for writing scientific articles. Theoretically, the research is based on the assumptions of the Dialogical Theory of Language (Bakhtin, 2011 [1979]; Volóchinov, 2018 [1929]), as well as the Circle’s reflections on language, dialogism, and interaction. It also draws on contributions about media and social networks as a Communicative Teaching-Learning Ecosystem (Martín-Barbero, 2000; 2009; Xavier, 2023). A qualitative approach was adopted, with a documentary nature and an interpretative aim. The object of investigation comprised 15 videos (EducToks) available on TikTok. The corpus was collected in two stages, in April 2023 and between October and November 2024. The results revealed that the eductokers analyzed act as discursive mediators in teaching academic writing, by mobilizing compositional and stylistic strategies that adapt the scientific article genre to TikTok’s interactive language. The interactions in the comments section emerged as dialogical zones of meaning negotiation, where learners take positions, request guidance, and validate writing practices, strengthening the collective and responsive dimension of the Teaching-Learning Ecosystem. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence was approached as a support tool for writing, recognized by eductokers as a useful resource, although the ethical and formative guidance provided remains limited in depth.