Mirar a través de la zona de contacto: aproximaciones a las prácticas letradas vernáculas de un estudiante

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of
 the vernacular literacy practices that young
 people share on social media through the case of
 Esteban, a high school student whose activities
 are negatively perceived by adults. This was done
 through the perspective offered by the contact
 zone, a theoretical construct that allowed us to
 identify the social spaces where cultures interact,
 often in contexts marred by asymmetrical relations
 of power. Virtual ethnography was used to guide the
 observation of Esteban’s social media, considering
 mediated interaction as a social process, text as an
 interaction, and the observer-observed relationship.
 The method was broadened by an interview, to include the participant’s testimony about the creation of his vernacular literacy practices, as well as his experience on the contrasts between perceptions of his peers and those of the adults who
 knew those practices. This case illustrates starting points to conduct pedagogical experiences based on the contact zone, to promote an approach to some students activities that are often stigmatized, helping to establish models of understanding them and the spaces where they take place.