Wattpad como ferramenta para a formação de leitores juvenis na era digital

Abstract

Wattpad emerges as an innovative tool that redefines the way contemporary readers, especially young people, are formed and engaged. More than expanding access to reading, the platform promotes a type of digital-literary literacy in which the act of reading is intertwined with practices of interaction, production, and sharing. The general objective of this study is to analyze Wattpad as a tool for the development of young readers in the digital age, considering the transformations of the book and reading practices in cyberspace. Regarding the specific objectives, the following stand out: to understand the transformation of the book from printed to digital format, situating it within the context of the information age; to discuss reading practices in cyberspace, considering changes in ways of reading and relating to literary texts in digital environments; and to examine Wattpad as a space that contributes to the consolidation of reading among young people. The methodology employed is characterized by a bibliographic and quantitative approach, which included the application of a questionnaire to frequent Wattpad users. This study is justified by the need to understand youth reading practices that take place outside school and institutional settings, especially in digital environments such as Wattpad, where reading occurs as an everyday experience integrated with leisure, identity, and digital sociability. For the construction of the theoretical framework, the studies of Chartier (1998) were considered, whose contributions make it possible to understand the historical trajectory of the book and reading practices, from manuscript to print and to digital media; Martino (2015), who analyzes languages and processes of meaning production in the networked digital environment; and Santaella (2006), who understands reading as a historically constructed cognitive model, conditioned by the technical means of production and circulation of signs. The results of this study show that Wattpad acts as a relevant formative environment for young readers by consolidating reading practices supported by regularity, emotional engagement, and long-term continuity. In addition, the data indicate that Wattpad expands young people’s literary repertoire by enabling frequent contact with different genres, styles, and narrative forms, contributing to the development of reading competencies.