Social media and democracy: a tool of enlightenment or a disinformation factory?

"Social media have become a key arena for political discussion," says Nathan, 18, a student at Lycée Athénée, who attended the 27th European Encounters in Luxembourg. The discussions centred on the impact of digital platforms on young people's political consciousness.

According to Nathan in an interview with L'Essentiel, despite the risks, social media gives young people access to "simple, clear and fast" content. He himself draws information "from television, social networks and political events". His classmate Côme emphasises: "The problem is not the platforms themselves, but how we use them."

Experts are increasingly sounding the alarm. Political scientist Arnaud Mercier points out that social networks originally promised transparency, but instead have generated an avalanche of "bad noise" and information chaos. In an era when X (formerly Twitter) has become a political tool, manipulation is multiplying. Journalist William Audureau adds: "The time for fact-checking loses out to the speed at which fakes spread - rumours go viral before they can be refuted."

Especially dangerous are publications taken out of context or "resurfacing" years later. Mercier calls it a symptom of a profound shift: "The idealisation of the beginning of social networks has given way to endless conflict - human, but amplified by algorithms.

In one survey, students chose the main threat of social media as misinformation and fake news. Next came loss of privacy and content addiction. Nathan reminds, "Everyone has a collective responsibility not to become part of the flood of misinformation and conspiracy theories that destroy democracy."

Yet, despite their flaws, digital platforms remain a window into social and political processes for young people. The only question is who and how this window is used, whether for the purposes of reflection or manipulation.