If they use them massively, college students know little about the functioning of social networks. Workshops are set up with the Toulouse association Synapses to boost the critical spirit of 5th grade students at the Auscitain college.
In a room at the Salinis college, a dozen 5th graders are chatting casually with two young adults. “Me, I put a counter, 10 minutes, so as not to stay too long, explains a schoolgirl. But each time, I take it off and continue! “It’s the interest of Tiktok, that you stay connected the longest: as long as you swipe, the ad is displayed. »
The two speakers from Synapses, a Toulouse association, master both the practices and the vocabulary of middle school students, but also know the hidden side of social networks. “We do media and information education, and we are interested in digital practices, those of young people aged 12 to 25, explains Guillaume. They have consequences for our daily lives. »
Many issues
Synapses, unlike many speakers, does not base its interventions on “fake news”, but on all uses of screens: reality TV, Netflix, influencers, networks… “The issues are both very numerous, and very important. Users are often aware of seduction but lack the tools to analyze it. For example, Tiktok takes up a lot of their time, but they don’t see the capture of their privacy.”
Social networks collect masses of information for commercial purposes. And that, college students do not really perceive. “They react very strongly when they understand that their practices are analyzed, that their information is stored, with the aim of sending them targeted advertising, says the speaker. It does not upset their use of social networks, but they become aware of the consequences. »
And there is also the facet of human relationships impoverished by limited communication. “There is a disappearance of non-verbal communication, and it can represent 80% of what passes between two people. It can lead to conflict, either online or in the playground…”
“We must make do”
Principal Nathalie Di Giusto, like all her counterparts, has learned to cope with this through social media. They can damage good relations between college students. But the principal is vigilant about any problems that may arise. She assures him, “there are no more, no less than elsewhere in Salinis”. Nathalie Di Giusto recognizes this with lucidity: “In any case, we have to deal with it… However, evolving with society means educating future adults. That’s why we scheduled these interventions. They are part of the health, citizenship and environment education committee. »
The idea is to do prevention on excessive use, as well as on the content of social networks. The colleague strives to awaken the students’ critical spirit. “This is our objective through this type of workshop, as we also do by accompanying students in other areas, where they are confronted with sources of information. »
Gers: in Auch, the students of the Salinis college at the school of social networks