Introduction:

The covid-19 pandemic has left a high number of infected and dead in the world, where several social measures have been imposed on the population, especially social isolation.

Objective:

Given this scenario, based on Vygotsky’s socio-historical theory, this original article aimed to identify the meanings of social isolation in the covid-19 pandemic for Brazilian youth.

Method:

A survey was carried out, with the participation of 571 young Brazilians, women and men aged between 18 and 25, who answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Free Word Association Method (FWAM), analyzed with the help of IRaMuTeQ.

Results:

The results showed that virtualized socialization is insufficient for the social demand of young people, as evidenced by the most evoked words in category 1, “Homesickness” (χ² = 55,41); “Boredom” (χ² = 50,06); “Anxiety” (χ² = 42,67); “Loneliness” (χ² = 37,15); “Sadness” (χ² = 32,78). It was also identified that their routine was transformed with the insertion of obligations and leisure primarily in the home environment, demonstrated by the prevalence of words like “House” (χ² = 116,18); “Home Office” (χ² = 26,06); “Movie” (χ² = 26,06); “Mask” (χ² = 24,96); “Alcohol” (χ² = 21,67); “Lockdown” (χ² = 21,67), in category 2. Still, young people brought their resignifications in this period, in the face of collective responsibility, indicated by the choice of words in category 3, such as “Care” (χ² = 84,05); “Responsibility” (χ² = 59,21); “Respect” (χ² = 55,03); “Prevention” (χ² = 52,68); “Empathy” (χ² = 34,06); “Protection” (χ² = 21,99).

Conclusions:

It is concluded that isolation brought negative consequences on relationships and mental health of young people, but also a greater social awareness.

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