France: politicians attacking social networks
President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview to Brut.
December 4, 2020 © BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
Text by: Valérie Gas Follow
4 min
The presidential campaign is approaching and politicians are looking for new communication channels, in particular to appeal to young people.
YouTube, Twitter and now TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch or Clubhouse… the new platforms are popular.
Publicity
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Even Jean Castex is doing it.
The Prime Minister will make his Twitch debut on Sunday evening, March 14, just days after François Hollande, who confided on this platform that his greatest regret was not having represented himself in 2017. In the entourage of the Prime Minister, we explains that the meeting had been set before and that the approach is not the same.
François Hollande was in the "
retrospective
", Jean Castex is in "
the action
".
And what he wants is to talk to young people.
Because on Twitch, a platform originally dedicated to video games, the guest answers questions asked live by the community.
A very different exercise from the more traditional one of TV shows or press interviews aimed at an older target audience.
In this period, we need to exchange.
And also to get along, to respect each other and to take time, together.
Thank you @SamuelEtienne for inviting me tonight, for allowing me to discover Twitch and share these moments, it was exciting!
#FCbienveillance pic.twitter.com/smMLoa5025
- François Hollande (@fhollande) March 8, 2021
"
Include young people in the political discussion
"
The government is launching an assault on platforms with the aim of "
including young people in the political discussion
".
In Matignon, we are already thinking about other interventions by the Prime Minister on social networks when there are messages to send to young people.
“
We are trying to adapt our communication format
,” explains an advisor.
Government spokesperson Gabriel Attal is thus multiplying initiatives on TikTok, Twitch, YouTube and even offers a meeting called “Sansfiltre” where he discusses with influencers.
Clément Beaune, the Secretary of State for European Affairs, is also very active.
He went to Clubhouse, a still fairly confidential audio platform that allows direct and equal discussions with all participants in the "chat room".
Not to mention Emmanuel Macron, who has been seen on TikTok, Brut, Snapchat and who has launched a challenge to youtubers McFly and Carlito whose video on barrier gestures has already made 14 million views.
The President of the Republic has promised to receive them soon at the Elysee and to engage with them in a competition of anecdotes.
A way of trying to communicate with the codes of young people, in formats that affect them and for a good cause since it is a question of teaching about the health crisis.
Objective: the presidential campaign
Because officially all this has nothing to do with the next presidential election.
And yet, in 2022 the campaign will necessarily go through social networks.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon has already understood this for a long time and is very present there.
He broadcasts videos, has his own channel on YouTube and is followed by many "followers" on all applications.
Arnaud Montebourg who aspires to be a candidate in 2022 has also entered the dance, he appeared in particular on Clubhouse recently.
Social networks are fast becoming an essential channel for political communication.
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