Technological practices of university students and how they affect their personal autonomy

This research addresses new questions about personal autonomy, linked to information and communication technologies (ICT) and university students, a country's educated generational relay. How young people use these technologies, and whether these uses help their personal autonomy to flourishing are two of the main questions that guided this project. From the human development approach and the theoretical proposal of technologies in practice, the data from a diachronic survey (2015-2020), applied to 621 students from two public universities in Mexico, from northeast and the central-west respectively, were analyzed. From the findings, a typology is derived according to the three student profiles identified, where the adoption of these technologies is considered, while at the same time the mediation that parents have in their development of educational capacities. Likewise, three variables related to the category of personal autonomy are proposed, according to the potentialities and contexts of these young people. It is concluded that although the use of ICT is strongly promulgated by the educational institutions –conditioned by the structures and digital tools they posses–, it does not contribute to a relevant flourishing of personal autonomy among university students.