French Ban Words ‘Twitter’ And ‘Facebook’ From TV, Radio

Published by pratyushkp on June 7th, 2011 - in Social, Technology

How do you say Twitter and Facebook in French? You don’t say them at all.

France has banned the names of both social networking sites from being spoken on radio or television, unless they are part of a news story.

The reason for the ban goes back to a 1992 decree that says mentioning such services by name is an act of advertising. Therefore, using the terms “Twitter” and “Facebook” constitutes preferential treatment.

Christine Kelly, a spokesperson for France’s Conseil Superieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA), explained the ban.

“Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition,” she told L’Express. “This would be a distortion of competition. If we allow Facebook and Twitter to be cited on air, it’s opening a Pandora’s Box– other social networks will complain to us saying, ‘why not us?’”

But critics highlight the absurdity of such an edict. TechCrunch writes:

Instead of referring to specific social networking pages, like saying “Find us at Facebook.com/Audi” or follow us on “Twitter.com/Pepsi” brands will have to skirt around the issue, saying things like “Find us on social networking sites!,” or directing viewers to their community pages and hoping that viewers will just pick up on where to go.

Ex-pat blogger Matthew Fraser attributed the new restrictions to traditional French protectionism when it comes to the spread of American culture.

“Facebook and Twitter are, of course, American social networks,” he wrote. “In France, they are regarded — at least implicitly — as symbols of Anglo-Saxon global dominance — along with Apple, MTV, McDonald’s, Hollywood, Disneyland, and other cultural juggernauts. That there is a deeply-rooted animosity in the French psyche towards Anglo-Saxon cultural domination cannot be disputed.”

Back in 2003, the French banned the use of the word “email” in all government communications and publications.

Source :- http://www.huffingtonpost.com

  • French TV, radio programs slapped with social media restriction (cnn.com)
  • France bans Twitter, Facebook mentions on TV, in the name of market competition (engadget.com)
  • Twitter And Facebook Reminders Banned From French Airwaves (paidcontent.org)
  • Twitter and Facebook reminders banned from French airwaves (guardian.co.uk)
  • France bans Facebook and Twitter from TV, radio (digitallife.today.com)
  • The Words “Facebook” And “Twitter” Are Banned From French Airwaves (matthewfraser-thismuchiknow.com)


Comments

Powered by Facebook Comments


7 Responses

  1. fresh water says:

    Continue to publish regarding this topic. There is a increased need than you may expect for this sort of information and guidance. That which you talk about is beneficial to the individual that is looking to get the tips that you’ve put together.

  2. amazing water blog says:

    Your knowledge definitely fills a necessity. I have been wanting to locate this specific blog and you genuinely came through. Can you imagine that what you have written pretty much accurately replicates my very own experience.

  3. Mose Grobes says:

    Never knew this, appreciate it for letting me know.

  4. garage door repair houston says:

    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again very soon!

  5. Gerald Terrel says:

    bull almanac you’ve lock up

  6. mrsa treatment says:

    Most of us have overlooked this foremost idea. Your writing are supporting me in discovering some needed pieces of information. Make sure you keep up your publishing.

  7. mrsa treatment says:

    Such a rejuvenating surprise your posts are. I was genuinely astonished to discover this blog. Getting more people to be a part of the discussion is actually a advantage.

Leave a Reply to mrsa treatment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:

© Social Media Blog