2023-11-09 11:35:28
“Fake news is presented by pseudo-specialists who are only specialists in the name they give themselves. The moderation policy is reduced to nothing, there is no control over the reliability of the sources. And X has become a network that amplifies the dissemination of hateful content. » When he talks about the social network X (formerly Twitter), Éric Berton, the president of Aix Marseille University, does not mince his words.
Since October 17, the university account no longer publishes anything, information is no longer posted, communication is broken. A decision that the president explains simply: “We don’t get up one morning and say that we are going to leave X. Since the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, we have seen the network’s positioning and editorial line deteriorate. This line has become incompatible with the values of tolerance and humanism in which the University of Aix Marseille is committed. A presence on X is incompatible with our mission to disseminate knowledge, the development of critical thinking and the development of knowledge! It did not correspond at all to our vision and I did not want the image of Aix Marseille University to be associated with this network any longer. »
An alternative scientific truth
Like Aix Marseille, but also Rennes 2, Centrale Nantes has suspended its activity on the social network purchased by Elon Musk. “We place sustainable development and ecology at the heart of our decisions and we see very clearly that certain content on Twitter calls into question facts linked to global warming,” notes the school’s communications director.
“Many colleagues who work in sustainable development have already left Twitter. We have a real specialization in marine renewable energies and we were testing a test site at sea with a floating wind turbine for the production of green hydrogen. We published news on the subject and on the environmental impact of offshore wind turbines and we received in return false accusations or unconstructive remarks! So even if I told the community manager not to feed the trolls, the people we address leave the network. »
An observation shared by the president of Aix Marseille University: “Those who intervene, when they are not robots, are self-declared scientists. » At Centrale, if the closure of the account is not presented as definitive, but as a break, its audience is gradually leaving the social network: “We mainly used it to communicate with journalists, academic communities and partners industrial. We realized that more and more academic profiles were leaving the network and that there were more and more alternative facts or realities. Those who spoke on the environmental transition were harassed. It’s a strong editorial line of the school, we said to ourselves that our place was no longer necessarily there. »
“The account still exists, but we no longer do anything with it. This is the worst case scenario.”
Once the network has left, the communication services of schools and universities seek, or do not seek, alternatives to their communication which is not always institutional. “Linkedin, after a period of slack, has once again become a place with more exchange and substance, and many alumni of the school are present. It’s a community that is dear to us and with which we can easily resonate on this channel,” explains the communications manager of Centrale Nantes.
“By leaving we lose the link with the public who remains”
Céline Authemayou, INSA group communications
LinkedIn is also a network that has taken a greater place in the communication of the INSA group, which includes seven national institutes of applied sciences. Last February, overnight, the group’s Twitter account was blocked. “A notification appeared on the screen, telling us that the account had been locked following suspicion of suspicious activity. I sent tickets, I contacted Twitter, I tried everything,” remembers Céline Authemayou, in communications for the INSA group: “The account still exists, but we no longer do anything with it. This is the worst scenario. »
Since the blockage, the group’s energies have been refocused on other networks. “It’s a debate that has generated a lot of discussion, because by leaving we lose the link with the public who remain and who need enlightened information that is not that of the trolls. But we also buy mental peace! For the group, Linkedin is the flagship: engagement is good, the number of subscriptions is increasing and we are reaching teachers, students and our alumni! »
Head to TikTok?
At Centrale Nantes too, reflection allows them to think about the editorial question and the targets. “On YouTube, we created a specialized channel to promote our researchers and our research equipment and platforms, to highlight certain projects. It is intended for academic partners to target talents, but also for students who are sensitive to academic excellence and who need to be reassured. » The students within the school are not left out and are called upon to contribute. “A discussion is underway with some of them. Why not head to TikTok for example? »
For the president of Aix-Marseille, other alternatives are also being studied and the 80,000 students, spread across five campuses, are not left without a communication tool: “We have our internal network, Facebook, Linkedin or even Instagram and we’ll watch Bluesky or Mastodon. A major institution has left Twitter and we won’t be the only ones! »
Other schools have also effectively decided to take the plunge, such as Sciences Po Toulouse, whose president explained to The Dispatch that freedom of expression “must always be reconciled with other democratic principles: respect for private life, the right to one’s image, the protection of children, the fight against racial hatred. The moderation function is essential, it must exist. Racist or revisionist comments are not opinions, they are crimes. As Hannah Arendt said, lies prepare and precede violence. »
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