three questions about the use of social networks during the riots

Since the death of Nahel, Tuesday June 27, killed by a police officer during a road check in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), images of the riots have flooded social networks. On Twitter, TikTok and Snapchat, videos of defacements and clashes with police are the most viewed and are pushed forward by the recommendation algorithm, based on the popularity of the videos. But social networks are not only used to share images of violence. For four days, the platforms have also been the place where the rioters have been organizing, as denounced by the government and the President of the Republic on Friday June 30. Franceinfo comes back in three questions on the use of social networks and their role in these riots.

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1What role do social networks play in organizing rioters?

Whether on Twitter, TikTok or Snapchat, content that corresponds to a current trend is pushed forward by the platform. We are therefore witnessing a snowball effect: the more the videos of the riots are viewed, the more they are shown to many users, and so on. On Snapchat, the “Snap card”, which allows you to see the position of your friends in real time, also makes it easy to know where they are. the places that concentrate the videos of degradations and clashes with the police. In the blink of an eye, it is thus possible to know where to go to join a group.

Social networks “have the ability to instantly mobilize people. Mobilization calls are made in stories, for example, by individuals who reach out to their communities, but the message can then be relayed very quickly to others“, attests Yasmine Buono, specialist in digital education, at France 3 Provence-Alpes Côtes d’Azur. Filming his exploits on social networks also has a symbolic dimension. “Social networks make it possible to make the riot memorable. To make this day, which comes out of everyday life, a lasting memory”explains the lecturer in communication sciences Romain Huët to Release.

Traveling to Créteil (Val-de-Marne), Saturday July 1, the Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, regretted “the pack effect” caused by the sharing on social networks of the violence committed and warned those who disseminate such images with their accounts. “It makes others want to go further. (…) If you throw stuff on Snapchat, the account, we’re going to blow ithe explained vividly. I want the youth to know in a clear way that the prosecutors of this country will seek the identities of the young people” who share information about “place, time” of an assault, said the Keeper of the Seals. “Let no one think that behind social networks there is impunity”he hammered.

2How is the government trying to regulate app usage?

Faced with the phenomenon, Emmanuel Macron wants to be firm. “Platforms and social networks play a considerable role in the movements of the last days. (…) We will take several measures in the coming hours in connection with these platforms, to organize the removal of the most sensitive content”the president announced at an interdepartmental crisis meeting on Friday.

The Head of State said he was waiting for a “spirit of responsibility” major social media platforms. On Friday afternoon, representatives of Meta (Facebook’s parent company), Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok met with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Digital Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who “in particular reminded the platforms of their responsibility for the dissemination of these publications”, reports a press release from Place Beauvau. The platforms were therefore asked to “Actively engage to urgently remove messages reported to them and identify social network users who participate in the commission of offences, and to respond promptly to requests from administrative and judicial authorities”.

For his part, Meta explains that he “clear policies prohibiting any content that incites hatred and violence on Facebook and Instagram”. “We are in constant contact with the French authorities and we have set up a monitoring unit in the middle of the week to act as quickly as possible”, continues the press release relayed by AFP. The social network Snapchat has also defended itself from being lax vis-à-vis violent content on its platform. “When we find this type of content, either through proactive detection or when it is reported to us, we remove it and take appropriate action”, assures a spokesperson for Snapchat to AFP. Finally, regarding the Snap card, the platform ensures to examine “proactively (…) lcontent related to the riots” to remove what “infringed [ses] guidelines”.

3How do social networks change the game compared to the riots of 2005?

Eighteen years ago, Facebook made its infancy on the Harvard campus in the United States, Twitter only saw the light of day a few months later, Snapchat (created in 2011) and TikTok (2016), them, were far from appearing on our phones. Social networks were not part of everyday life, but riots had still shaken working-class neighborhoods for more than two weeks, even pushing the executive to apply a state of emergency.

“It would be a mistake to (focus) too much attention on this, to choose social networks as scapegoats for a phenomenon which is ultimately a social and democratic crisis”, tempers with AFP Leïla Mörch. According to the internet governance and online content moderation expert, social networks are “a distorting mirror of reality” and violence. “Social media is embracing it, putting it in an even stronger light. But, in this case, they are absolutely not the cause. In 2005, there were no social networks and the riots had lasted as long as we know”she adds.

The expert therefore remains cautious in the face of attempts to censor certain content on social networks. “At times like this, we can only react hotly by deleting content en masse to avoid feeding a kind of circle of hatred. But it is draconian and therefore it is only a solution at very short term”which we reuse “every time there is a crisis”notes the coordinator of a research laboratory at Stanford University.