Usages of social media and information practices of young Quebeckers: The case of Facebook during the 2012 student strike
The spring of 2012 was marked by a major social upheaval in Quebec, triggered by the conflict surrounding the proposed increase in tuition fees. Various observers have suggested that Web 2.0 platforms, or social media, played a leading role in this upheaval. Facebook and Twitter, in particular, constitute a source of information and a tool for sharing information that, although not replacing mass media, have contributed to transforming the way people obtain information, talk about issues and form an opinion. This article undertakes to document, using a sociographic approach, these emerging information practices in order to better understand them and to determine to what extent they are circumstantial or indicative of a deeper evolution. The survey applies a hybrid approach that is based on a series of in-depth qualitative interviews held with about thirty young people (students and non-students) between the ages of 18 and 25 during the upheaval, complemented by a “guided tour” of their Facebook timelines regarding this event. The study showed that, apart from certain recurring features, the usages and representations of this platform are far from homogeneous within this age group, and that these reflect social cleavages known to characterize Quebec.