Author:
Nathalie PatonThis paper studies the emergence and renewal of social networks resulting from increased mediatization of social relations linked to the use of new communication technologies. The evolution of relationship dynamics, impacted by the use of participatory media, is studied from the specific context of a form of “bottom-up” regulation, that of moral panic. By proceeding with a French and American comparative analysis of media participation in online social networks sites regarding the same-sex marriage debate, we show how the exposure of private opinions in the public media arena, notably Facebook, leads to the bifurcation of media uses, regardless of the point of view defended and the gap between respective national framings of a same moral dilemma.
