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Use of Social Media – French Perspective29. June 2009 – 11:17 by Interns at 21c |
Replacing the old means of communication, internet has allowed people to stay in touch for a fraction of the cost and without any time delay. E-mail, social websites, forums, blogs and various chats facilitate an accessible and interactive conversation between individuals of any age. However, if we were to select the one champion of modern social communication, it would have to be Facebook, or at least in France…
In France, Facebook is mainly used by the 15-25 year olds. It is a social network that helps to find lost classmates, consolidates existing friendships, helps with day to day interactions, allows exchanging photos and ideas, provides place for sharing information and allows people to organize events. In France, we consider Facebook to be the “Rende-Vouz du Soir”. After class, we come home to our computer and chat about the passed school day and share opinions and problems or discuss our homework.
Moreover, the boundless evolution of Facebook allows us to express what we feel by intergrading into certain groups. This helps us to distinguish ourselves from others. Facebook is a great way to eliminate the constant influence of media. It permits us to express our ideas and our personality in a more liberal way.
As an example, we can cite a support group called “1 membre dans ce group = 1 € pour la recherché contre le Sida”. This group, created on the 17th of January 2009, is reserved for people interested in the research of AIDS. By joining this group, 1 euro is donated by the Facebook Company to the SIDA Foundation. This group also educates people about the disease, current treatments and provides space for posting comments and reactions. This group has currently 645 607 members
The Group “Freedom for Ingrid Betancourt” created in May 2007 brought together 22,515 members and raised a total of 1 743 comments. Along with other associations and blogs, this group has put pressure on the French government to accelerate the process of Ingrid Betancourt liberation who was retained by the FARC in Colombia for 7 years. Thanks to the growing number of adherents, Ingrid Betancourt was freed on 2 July 2008.
by Charlene Boullier and Emmanuelle Cloarec
Tags: inenglish
