Facebook has not left the media indifferent, with some even questioning whether it should be banned: too powerful, too dangerous, especially for younger audiences ... even if the latter are turning away from it en masse - but tomorrow, we'll certainly be suggesting that WhatsApp be banned!
Others, on the contrary, propose transforming the independent network into a public service - the same question arises for Google: when a service reaches too large a proportion of the population, and does so without any real competition, shouldn't it fall into the public domain?
Or should it not fall under the anti-monopoly laws, like AT&T, which was dismantled in 1982 - one of the rare but emblematic applications of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act ?
In fact, the media don't much like Facebook, which siphons off their audience, only to give them back a little visibility once they've settled in with it: the press already lacks the means, and now the social network is controlling their wallets.
They are all the more suspicious of Facebook because, over the years, it has become the biggest reservoir of Fake News, which it is careful not to filter: all it does is explain to its users how to be wary of it, even though it has the resources to be a little more vigilant.
The press and media have often been referred to as 4th power, counterbalancing the legislative, executive and judicial branches: at a time when the GAFAs - in the broadest sense of the term, because we shouldn't be too quick to forget IBM, Microsoft and Netflix - are waging a tug-of-war with the States, we might well ask ourselves the question of "real 1er power" I'm not sure it's always the politicians!
Which in itself becomes embarrassing in a democracy: Facebook doesn't derive its power from an election, so it's impossible to sanction it by sending it home.
Facebook draws its power from its traffic, and to increase it, anything goes ... including false information! And the public are falling for it.
In China, no such embarrassments: the government remains - by far - the 1er and sole power: the omnipotent Alibaba very spontaneously follows the party line ... when it does not anticipate it, the group having bought the South China Morning PostHong Kong's only independent daily newspaper, only to censor it immediately!
There is no doubt that in the years to come, there will be gigantic tug-of-war between the political and media powers ('traditional' media on one side, social media on the other) - the question being: who will arbitrate?
