Last Friday, out of curiosity, I wanted to virtually attend the press briefing on the tuition fees that will be imposed on future students who will come to study in English in our universities.
The press release said that journalists who wanted to attend the event had to register. What I have done. What was my surprise to be told ten minutes later that I had to go to the Facebook pages of the two ministries concerned, that of the French Language and that of Higher Education.
However, I no longer have a Facebook account.
I wrote again to the press officers, and they confirmed to me that this was the only way for journalists who could not be on site to take part in this press conference.
This situation is completely absurd! On the one hand, governments say that we must wage a merciless fight against these digital giants who oppose the entry into force of the Online News Act (C-18) and, on the other, we continue to feed the monster that is crushing the Canadian media and destroying our cultural identity.
There is something wrong with this matter!
This carelessness of the political community was also observed when Québec solidaire refused to stop its advertising placements with Meta during the recent by-election in Jean-Talon.
And can I tell you about the presenters (from public and private radio and television) who constantly send us to their show’s Facebook page so that we can register for a competition or obtain information?
When will we understand that the idea is not to direct the public towards these giants, but to do the opposite? They must be used to bring readers, listeners or viewers into the media environment.
On this subject, you often write to me to tell me that you are disappointed at no longer being able to share articles from The Press on Facebook. You also ask me what you can do to help us. Nothing stops you from creating a buzz around a report or column by inviting your “friends” to come and read the result.
Something like: “It’s really worth reading Francis Vailles’ column this morning in The Press ! » (Don’t thank me, Francis!)
But back on topic !
This habit of broadcasting press events on Facebook has taken off greatly during the pandemic. It was a practical and easy way. Several organizations and levels of government have maintained this way of doing things, despite the crisis shaking the media world at the moment.
Don’t you have the impression that we are going in circles? While we do one thing and its opposite, Meta’s bosses laugh under their breath as they see us waging a disorganized war that suffers from a lack of solidarity.
We recently learned that Google is also considering preventing the sharing of content from Canadian media. If this is the case, the federal government will need unconditional support from the media and the public to maintain its standoff with GAFAM.
We must take this situation very seriously and not wait for another newspaper’s obituary or the mutilation of a newsroom. There are habits to break, actions to take that must go beyond a simple day of boycotting Facebook.
When I see the Prime Minister of Canada using Instagram, owned by Meta, to announce his separation, I tell myself that there is a lot of work to be done. Why didn’t Justin Trudeau relay a good old press release written by a public relations firm?
By wanting to be of one’s time, one ends up killing one’s time.
I made the decision to leave Facebook on Saturday, August 12 at 8:30 a.m. I got up and told myself that I couldn’t feel sorry for the fate of the Métro newspapers (the subject of my column that day) , denounce the attitude of Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and continue to feed this beast that is strangling us.
So it was with regret that I left my 5,000 Facebook “friends” without saying a real goodbye. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to those who think I “blocked” them.
It’s a shame, because I really liked discussing serious or trivial subjects with this community of people who looked like me. Some people will get bored of my photos of hideous Christmas trees.
But hey, I had to be consistent with my ideas.
If you ever imitate my gesture, know that it is not easy to desert the ship. Depending on the device you use (cell phone, tablet, computer), there is a whole maze that the Facebook designers have brilliantly imagined to discourage you.
Since patience is not one of my virtues, I got angry and finally pressed the “delete account due to death” button. Ten seconds later, panic took hold of me!
I imagined a photo of my face surrounded by a blurred halo next to an armful of white roses with the words “Mario Girard: 1961-2023”. I especially imagined my mother choking on her coffee when she read this announcement.
A friend immediately reassured me: “Don’t worry, closing the Facebook page of a deceased person is extremely complicated. Proof of death must be sent. »
You see, even dead, Facebook still wants to have you as a friend!