Media and the “Sponge Bob” cartoon: productions of meaning about childhood and its social representations

Abstract

The main objective of this essay is to reflect on media culture and the cartoon "SpongeBob" in contemporary childhood. In a specific way, analyze some episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants and the meaning productions about childhood and its representations and social relationships. The study proposal is related to the Research Project - "Semi-formation and Education in the context of the Damaged Society: beyond the demarcated territory" of the State University of Londrina. The methodology is bibliographic in the light of the foundations of critical theory and authors who dialogue with this theoretical basis. In this sense, by self-reflection in the thresholds of Adorno and Horkheimer, it is possible to analyze the effects of media culture and its design on the formative and representative process of childhood in the current scenario, as well as to raise the gaze to the possibility of the use of cartoons in favor of a more critical, diversified, participatory and emancipatory childhood culture.