Cultura de paz digital: un enfoque para promover el bienestar en línea desde la universidad

Abstract

Digital peace culture is increasingly necessary in a world where online interaction is a constant aspect of life that shapes the behavior of communities, giving rise to digital violence where harmful actions proliferate and contribute to the emergence of conflictive and violent spaces. The purpose of digital peace culture is to generate and promote safer and more respectful digital environments and virtual spaces, under the logic of positive peace. This article, with a criminological and pedagogical approach, seeks to share some elements we have identified as substantive in a research project on education and culture for peace that is currently in progress. The proposal is articulated from the Criminology and Forensic Sciences Program at the Catholic University of Cuenca, Ecuador, which fosters a comprehensive academic approach to contemporary criminal phenomena and their impact on social coexistence. It is based on theories such as situational crime prevention, broken windows theory, neutralization theory, well-being theory, and positive peace theory, which explain how permissiveness and lack of regulation contribute to the development of criminal behaviors such as cyberbullying, grooming, or sexting, among others, that affect people’s quality of life. In the absence of positive peace tools, the implementation of strategies based on digital education, content moderation, and online conflict mediation is proposed to reduce digital violence with the active participation of citizens.