TEENAGE GEEKS – Every Friday, the Tech Service & amp; Web Figaro explores the Internet adolescents. Today, we are interested in Gossip, the application concerned Najat Vallaud-Belkacem.
For two weeks, testimonies multiply. Many media, starting with 20 minutes Strasbourg, an application that would evoke rage in adolescents: Gossip. Designed by a French, Cindy Mouly, she throws a poisonous atmosphere on playgrounds with blows of destructive gossip and rumors. When questioned by Madame Figaro, the creator of the application, which suspended its activity, playing the innocent and says she did not think that its application would be used by college students to spread rumors foul. This is not the first controversy of its kind. Le Figaro reported on these anonymous applications.
● What Gossip?
Gossip, which means “gossip” in English, is an application that honors Gossip Girl, teen show stopped in 2012, but still very popular today. Private schools in Manhattan, the mysterious Gossip Girl broadcasts on his blog rumors transmitted to it by students. Applying Cindy Mouly resumes the series codes, which has still started in 2007. Nothing new under the sun, then.
The principle is as simple as stupid. When someone sends a message on Gossip and is distributed anonymously among contacts of his repertoire. These can in turn rebroadcast and so on, of untraceable way. The most outrageous rumors are most likely to be replayed.
Plusieurs testimonies collected by Madame Figaro, the Obs or RMC illustrate virality rumors disseminated by Gossip. On adolescents smartphones bloom so the level of palimpsests messages scrawled on the walls of the college toilet. In college or school where the application has taken root, a teenager found on Gossip rumors about the love and sex lives of his comrades, petty remarks about the physical or the popularity of other students. A vocation assumed without problems: Gossip “democratizes gossip completely anonymously,” reads the description of the application in the Apple Store. All with a very basic moderation system, which did not allow to filter content or ban users automatically.
● Is this really the first application to do that?
No, not at all. A very similar American application, called Secret, was exactly the same before being closed on April 29, 2015. It allowed to anonymously share secrets with his Facebook friends. Its creator, David Byttow said when closing Secret that he disagreed with the malicious use made of people. This was clearly not what he expected. There were, however, various moderation procedures
In France, Secret did not work at all in adolescents. Its use is confined to communication agencies and a few handfuls of journalists. A few days after the closure of Secret Gossip is launched in France, with a much more directed marketing directly to middle and high school students. What is perfectly irresponsible, consider the many criticisms of the application. Thanks to word of mouth and its bad reputation, Gossip has enjoyed considerable success on iOS and Android. Creative claims 10,000 downloads a day. Although qu’inutilisable, its application has reached Thursday, the first place in the Apple App Store French.
In the United States, other popular applications work with a similar principle. Yik Yak and After School allow teens to broadcast messages within a limited area. Under pressure from heads of American institutions concerned by the harassment online, Yik Yak creators have set up a system of “Géobarrières” (geofencing). In schools that request it, Yik Yak uses geolocation to block the application. Impossible to start rumors or read the latest gossip in the yard.
● The teens really have waited applications on smartphones?
Neither. Gossip is an activity that took place on social networks or websites before applications such as Gossip or Secret. Any means of communication may be diverted for malicious purposes. In 2013, campus, schools and colleges were living to the rhythm of Facebook pages “Spotted” and “Gossip” (already). The first was devoted to anonymous declarations of love, and the other to gossip. The administrator of the page was well known safe and carried messages he received privately. Sometimes the messages of love had turned to make fun of a particular person.
Some blogs on the network eg Twitter, have also inspired by Gossip Girl gossip to conduct activities. However, that existed before the arrival of smartphones. The emergence of mobile Internet in the yards has considerably accelerated the cycle of rumors.
● Are the frequent excesses?
It depends on what we mean. All broadcast messages Gossip are inherently stupid: they propose to popularity contests between two schoolgirls, rebroadcast private photographs or make mocking jokes about the personalities of college or high school
● Should we ban the Internet and smartphones for teenagers?
Online harassment is only the digital transposition of more traditional bullying. It certainly poses new problems: a teen harassed online no respite when he returns home. Anonymity is appropriate in certain applications such as Gossip prevents victims to defend themselves and to designate their executioners.
Before cutting the connection, two things are worth noting. First, the online harassment is not confined to teenagers. According to the Pew Research Center, four in ten people claim to have been victims of online abuse, insult to outright harassment.
Then anonymity on the Web has virtues. Internet can also be a place to meet communities that allow escape from a toxic environment. Anonymity also allows teens to preserve their privacy. According to an Oxford University study from 2014, 95% of adolescents between 14 and 17 years have addressed the privacy settings of their social networks. This allows them to have a relatively discreet online business.
Similarly, some teenagers EnjoyPhoenix admirers of the beauty YouTubeuse most popular in France, say they have found support by watching his videos. When people are harassed because they belong to a sexual minority, the Internet can be a way to find support with people in similar situations. The social network Tumblr hosts a large LGBT community, which allows adolescents to find answers and support. Gossip The problem comes less anonymity itself as marketing application and the absence of effective moderation system.
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