“
Attract as many young people as possible by showcasing their moods to attract advertisers.
This is the new fashionable strategy in the unbridled world of the Internet
.”
On August 25, 2006,
Le Figaro
opened its media page with an article devoted to these “
sites for teenagers
”, which had become an “
investor fad
”.
MySpace and YouTube but also Facebook, this network created on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard.
The day before, the newspaper announced that Microsoft, the world's number one software company, would become "
the exclusive supplier of online advertising - banners and sponsored links - to the American social site
".
A month later, Facebook opens to all Internet users over the age of thirteen.
Twenty years later, the group renamed Meta in 2021 is a titan of social networks.
The star of advertising is Facebook
Already in 2007, its bright future was evident.
“
Forget Google, Yahoo!, MySpace and all the other cracks of the Internet, now the star of the network is called Facebook,
” writes
Le Figaro Economy
which, on October 26, devotes an investigative page to the phenomenon with 49 million active users.
The social network has many reasons to play the diva: “
Microsoft has agreed to value the social site at 15 billion dollars to have the right to take a crumb of its capital
”, 1.6% exactly.
A year earlier, Yahoo had offered a billion to get its hands on it.
Le Figaro Magazine deciphers the Facebook phenomenon on December 22, 2007. Le Figaro
The other reason for Facebook's phenomenal success is its “
advertising potential
”, the newspaper analyzes before detailing: “
Advertisers can know precisely the tastes, preferences and rallying codes of subscribers.
The possibilities are then endless for advertisers who wish to communicate on Facebook
.”
“Facebook, the website that sells your private life
,” warned
Le Figaro
in December .
In addition to advertisers, recruiters also benefit from the network.
“
43% of them rejected an application according to information discovered on the Internet, compared to only 26% two years earlier,”
recalls the newspaper
.
And the field of digital “odds” is wide.”
Also read: In 2030, tech giants will capture two-thirds of the French advertising market
Communication upheaval
But the great upheaval caused by the success of Facebook does not escape observers.
“
While we are witnessing a disintegration of the social fabric with the breakup of families or the disappearance of bars and other traditional meeting places, the social network recreates certain links virtually, disrupting our communication habits,”
analyzes
Le Figaro Magazine
on December 22, 2007. “
While
Skyblog
remains reserved for teenagers, Myspace for high school students and musicians, Facebook took off in the student world before widely spilling over into very different populations.
There we find the “sons of” but also lawyers, businessmen...
,” notes the weekly, which judges that it is the network of “
connected people
”.
Political figures have clearly understood the interest of Facebook, judges Le Figaro on October 26, 2007. Le Figaro
What do we do on Facebook?
the newspaper asks.
“
We first look for our friends: childhood friends, school friends, college friends, work colleagues, etc.
In the thousands of discussion groups present on the site, we philosophize, we have fun... We make fun (of the fashion for "slim" cut pants, for example), we flirt ("Will you become my friend , is your photo very pretty?"), we tell our lives, we put ourselves in the spotlight, we cultivate our professional relationships, we chat like in the bistro or in front of the coffee machine, about everything and nothing...
"
There is also politics there.
After the Americans, French elected officials allowed themselves to be seduced, notes
Le Figaro Economy
.
“
Among the pioneers, the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë.
With 881 supporters, the city councilor is still far from the impressive figures of Hillary Clinton.
Another aficionada, Anne Hidalgo, her first assistant, even organizes, like last Wednesday, “Facebook evenings”, where she invites her network supporters to meet.
Françoise de Panafieu just opened her page two days ago.
In government, Valérie Pécresse, Minister of Higher Education and Research, has paved the way.”