The public and the private: traits of brazilian culture amongst youngsters

ABSTRACT

This article discusses aspects of Brazilian culture, particularly the issue of public/ private, based on the analysis of the relationships that young people from lower classes have with their cell phones. This empirical, ethnographic study attempts to give a deep description based on observations made in high school classrooms in a public school on the outskirts of the city of São Paulo. The conclusion was reached that the use of cell phones by young people denotes not only their tastes and life styles, but also typical postures of Brazilian culture related to traces of our modern life and to the characteristics of contemporary society that are externalized as practices of distinguishing individuals and of draining of meaning from public spaces.

Keyword:
Culture; Cell Phones; Youth; Ethnography