Private groups, messaging, applications… social network users increasingly seduced by proximity

Morning rain does not stop the pilgrim, the saying goes. In Paris, the drizzle did not demotivate certain residents of the 14th arrondissement, who were determined to come and collect their fish order placed… via WhatsApp messaging.

Indeed, Saturday morning shoppers are not anonymous. When the truck arrives, around ten people crowd under the barn. Oddly enough, they seem to recognize each other. Some smile at each other, others exchange a few laughs.

What do they have in common? All are part of the WhatsApp discussion thread the “Fish club of Montsouris”, launched by La République des Hyper Voisins, an association promoting mutual aid and conviviality on a local scale. Thanks to this channel, the 460 members can directly place orders with Charles, a fisherman in Calvados who, every week, delivers his finds to them. Laure joined the discussion just a year ago. However, at 76 years old, this resident knows the neighborhood well having lived there for more than four decades. “I’m more of a homebody,” admits the septuagenarian. But this truck piqued my curiosity. Since then, I have been coming regularly and have even made a few acquaintances. »

Like Laure, many Internet users turn to private cocoons in the form of messaging, forums or applications to communicate good deals, place a classified ad or simply chat. A striking contrast in the era of publications by the thousands, of the race for clicks and subscribers.

Share, but in a restricted circle

According to the Digital Report France 2024, 78.2% of French people use social networks: more than 70% of 16-64 year olds go to Facebook every month, 63% to WhatsApp and 60% to Instagram. But if users continue to connect massively, their digital use has changed. Adam Mosseri, boss of Instagram – a social network which gives pride of place to images and videos – noted this in a podcast broadcast on July 24, 2023: the trend is no longer to widely expose moments of personal life, but to share them during more selected exchanges, in private messages.

This is the case with Francine. The retired teacher used to publish moments of life on Facebook or Instagram. Today, it no longer does so for security reasons. “We don’t know how search engines use our data,” she explains. And then, I’m afraid of direct or verbal violence. »

Stéphanie Lukasik is not surprised. The communications expert, elected to the Council of Europe on online security, notes a polarization of opinions in general which is particularly evident on the Internet, a space of anonymity par excellence. “Algorithms, created to adapt to individual tastes, have locked users into cognitive bubbles,” she explains. However, these bubbles can quickly become resonance chambers of negativity. »

A selection by sponsorship

Since its creation in 2014, the People of Confidence site has stood out in France. Each new registrant must obtain three sponsorships in order to have access to the advertisements. The site currently hosts two million members and one million users waiting to access it. A selective system assumed by the management team and claimed as a guarantee of confidence.

Doctor of sociology Catherine Lejealle analyzes this success in terms of a need for protection. “With the Internet, there was the illusion of a global village. However, we don’t necessarily have things to say to everyone. Some therefore prefer to be more selective in order to come together around a common point or knowledge,” she describes.

Because frequenting traditional networks is not without danger. Particularly on a psychological level. Numerous studies prove it: the more time we spend on the networks, the more depressed we become. Law on the drift of influencers, regulation of the Digital Services Act at European level, media coverage of cases of school bullying… public authorities are trying to regulate them, accelerating collective awareness of the risks involved.

Francine thus felt the need to stop posting images online of an idyllic life far from reality, in search of places on the Internet guaranteeing more authenticity. This attempt to reconnect with reality can be carried out, according to Stéphanie Lukasik, in two ways: by center of interest or by geographical proximity.

In Angers (Maine-et-Loire), the Facebook community of Petites Angevines brings together 12,000 users. Cécile Van den Broek created the group in 2017 to help women integrate into the city. Good deals, babysitting and personal questions are shared by the dozens every day. Originally a simple forum between friends, the Facebook page gained popularity and subscribers, forcing Cécile to exercise more moderation. “We want to stay among women,” she says. Members must be able to feel in a climate of trust in order to discuss sometimes sensitive subjects, such as endometriosis. »

In fact, many users are turning to a digital “private sphere”, considered more reassuring, to interact with people who are similar to them. Catherine Lejealle sees in this phenomenon the paradox of the independent modern man: “When social networks have multiplied, places of sociability have diminished,” summarizes the specialist. Today, users prefer to join private groups to meet people rather than joining a sports club or association, which are considered more restrictive and more engaging. »

Meet in real life

Thus, thematic discussion groups, applications and local sites are multiplying. But to ensure their viability, they must find a sustainable economic model. Antoine Delport, co-founder of the local running application OuiRun, is giving up on pushing his project further this year, “particularly because resources are needed to communicate and reach a critical mass. Maintaining a local network requires a large number of people. However, running does not necessarily attract everyone. »

But many especially value the fact of being able to meet before being motivated by a specific center of interest. It is this desire that leads them to join private groups. Barbara Courlet created the Facebook page Hiking in Rhône-Alpes during Covid. “The pandemic was so disruptive that we felt the need to give meaning to our lives,” she says. In its group of 250,000 members, users share their photos… and organize outdoor activities.

In Paris, the association La République des Hyper Voisins strives to work in this direction. Its founder, Patrick Bernard, repeats it: social networks are only a tool to encourage meetings in real life. The concept immediately appealed to Blandine. The fifty-year-old joined the association and its WhatsApp groups in July. She also prefers to speak of a community rather than a private group. “I like the idea of ​​meeting completely different people just a few meters from home. I joined this community for its diversity,” she says. A way to return to reality in one click.