Affective Mapping Approach to Adolescence and Parenting in the Digital Age: The Case of the Eighth Grade Film

Öz

The widespread adoption of digital technologies has significantly influenced family communication, perceptions of privacy, and the development of individual identity during adolescence. This study aims to examine the cinematic representations of adolescence and parenting in the digital age through Eighth Grade (2018), directed by Bo Burnham, focusing on the protagonist’s efforts to present herself on social media, her search for approval, and the communication gaps within her family. The film portrays the adolescent’s identity performances on digital platforms, their pursuit of social validation, and the disconnection in communication with their parents through an affective lens. In this context, the study is based on the affective mapping approach, which combines Sara Ahmed’s understanding of emotions attaching themselves to objects and spaces with Brian Massumi’s perspective of bodily and emotional intensity. The film analysis was conducted within the framework of themes identified in the study: digital identity and self-presentation, intra-family communication and silence, the fragility of privacy, affective conflicts, belonging and social acceptance, and self-integration and transformation. The findings reveal that adolescents’ self-performances on digital platforms are fragile and dependent on external approval, that family communication has become increasingly silent, and that privacy has been transformed into a constantly commodified space in the digital environment. Furthermore, the film illustrates that parental support plays a critical role in adolescents’ affective regulation and in maintaining a balance between digital and physical identity. By analyzing the effects of digitalization on the adolescent experience and family relationships from a cinematic standpoint, the study also underscores the importance of examining adolescents’ digital experiences and family interactions across different cultural contexts and media forms in future research.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Eighth Grade
• affective mapping approach
• digital parenting
• family communication
• digital identity.

Duygulanımsal Haritalama Yaklaşımıyla Dijital Çağda Ergenlik ve Ebeveynlik: Eighth Grade Filmi Örneği

Öz

Dijital teknolojilerin yaygınlaşması, ergenlik döneminde aile içi iletişim, mahremiyet algısı ve bireysel kimlik gelişimi üzerinde belirgin etkiler yaratmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Bo Burnham’ın yönettiği, ana karakterin sosyal medyada kendini sunma çabalarını, onay arayışını ve aile içindeki iletişim boşluklarını merkezine alan Eighth Grade (2018) isimli film üzerinden, dijital çağda ergenlik ve ebeveynlik ilişkilerinin sinemasal temsillerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Film, ergen bireyin dijital platformlarda yürüttüğü kimlik performanslarını, sosyal onay arayışını ve ebeveyni ile kurduğu iletişimdeki kopuklukları duygu odaklı bir biçimde göstermektedir. Bu bağlamda araştırmada, Sara Ahmed’in duyguların nesnelere ve mekânlara yapışması anlayışı ile Brian Massumi’nin bedensel ve duygusal yoğunluk perspektifini birleştiren duygulanımsal haritalama yaklaşımı temel alınmıştır. Film çözümlemesi, analizlerde belirlenen dijital kimlik ve özsunum, aile içi iletişim ve sessizlik, mahremiyetin kırılganlığı, duygulanımsal çatışmalar, aidiyet ve sosyal kabul ile öz bütünleşme ve dönüşüm temaları çerçevesinde yürütülmüştür. Bulgular, dijital platformlarda ergenlerin kendilik performanslarının kırılgan ve dış onaya bağımlı olduğunu, aile içi iletişimin sessizleştiğini ve mahremiyetin dijital ortamda sürekli pazarlanan bir alana dönüştüğünü göstermektedir. Ayrıca film, ebeveyn desteğinin ergenin duygulanımsal regülasyonunda kritik bir rol oynadığını ve dijital ile fiziksel kimlik arasındaki dengeyi sağlamada önem taşıdığını ortaya koymaktadır. Dijitalleşmenin ergenlik deneyimi ve aile ilişkileri üzerindeki etkilerini sinemasal bir perspektiften analiz eden çalışma ayrıca, gelecekte yapılacak çeşitli kültürel bağlamlarda ve farklı medya türleri üzerinden ergenlerin dijital deneyimlerini ve aile içi etkileşimlerinin incelenmesi gerektiğinin de altını çizmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Eighth Grade
• duygulanımsal haritalama yaklaşımı
• dijital ebeveynlik
• aile içi iletişim
• dijital benlik.

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