BEYOND VIRALITY: MEDIATING CULTURAL PRACTICES IN THE CONSTITUTION OF BELONGING, SOCIAL RECOGNITION, AND IDENTITY IN DIGITAL CULTURE

Abstract

Digital culture has fostered contemporary forms of communication, interaction, and social participation that extend beyond virtual environments and have become an integral part of adolescents’ everyday experiences. Among these manifestations, the phenomenon known as Farmar Aura stands out as a practice widely disseminated through social media, in which certain behaviors, performances, and interactions are associated with recognition, prestige, and a sense of belonging among peers. This study aims to analyze the Farmar Aura phenomenon as a cultural practice that mediates adolescents’ sense of belonging, social recognition, and identity construction, drawing on the principles of Historical-Cultural Psychology, studies on digital culture, and contributions from the neurodiversity perspective. This is a qualitative, exploratory, and bibliographic study based on national and international scholarly literature addressing digital culture, mediation, identity, social recognition, and participation. The Farmar Aura phenomenon is examined as a contemporary cultural reference to reflect on processes of meaning-making and social interaction among adolescents, also considering adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), without limiting the discussion to this specific group. The findings indicate that emerging cultural practices within digital culture may constitute symbolic spaces of mediation, fostering experiences of belonging, visibility, and social recognition. It is concluded that contemporary cultural phenomena constitute relevant objects of investigation for Education and the Humanities, as they broaden the understanding of participation, social recognition, and identity construction processes in the digital society.