DIGITAL INTIMACY OF ADOLESCENTS IN THE CUENCA CANTON: ESTABLISHMENT, MAINTENANCE AND TERMINATION OF SEX-AFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS

SOCIAL LIFE HAS CHANGED DUE TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE INTERNET, IN THIS SENSE, SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE TRANSFORMING THE WAY IN WHICH PEOPLE CONNECT AND RELATE TO EACH OTHER. IN ADOLESCENCE, SEX-AFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS CONSTITUTE A CENTRAL COMPONENT OF DEVELOPMENT, AND SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE PRESENTED AS A PRIVILEGED SPACE FOR THEIR CONSTRUCTION; HOWEVER, THE LITERATURE HAS TENDED TO FOCUS ON THE HARMFUL ASPECTS OF ONLINE INTERACTION, LEADING TO A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING THE DYNAMICS OF DIGITAL INTIMACY. FOR THIS REASON, THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO EXPLORE THE DYNAMICS OF THE DIGITAL INTIMACY OF ADOLESCENTS IN THE CANTON CUENCA, REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT, MAINTENANCE AND TERMINATION OF SEX-AFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS, THROUGH A STUDY WITH A MIXED SEQUENTIAL APPROACH. THE FIRST PHASE WILL BE QUANTITATIVE, THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE COLLECTION OF DATA, FOLLOWED BY A QUALITATIVE PHASE WITH THE CONDUCTION OF FOCUS GROUPS. TEENAGERS BETWEEN 15 AND 17 YEARS OLD FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, BOTH RURAL AND URBAN, IN THE CANTON OF CUENCA WILL PARTICIPATE IN BOTH STAGES. IN THIS WAY, THE RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON A DEEP ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL INTIMACY IN THE ADOLESCENT POPULATION, ADDRESSING IT BEYOND ITS RISKS AND THREATS. THE FINDINGS COULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE DESIGN OF EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS, AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTE TO THE ACADEMIC DEBATE ON THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE SOCIAL LIFE OF ADOLESCENTS IN THE DIGITAL ERA

XXII UNIVERSITY COMPETITION FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS