Social media Project Monnet aims to create a European Facebook

While Europeans use Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, X (formerly Twitter) or even Tiktok, one fact stands out: none of these social networks are from Europe. Is there a need to create a new social network made in Europe? That’s the view of Christos Floros, who is taking the helm of Project Monnet. Social networks shape our opinions, our interactions and even our democracies. Yet their current model is criticised for its flaws: inadequate data protection, algorithmic biases, dependence on American and Chinese platforms, massive dissemination of disinformation, etc. In the face of these excesses, a European project is seeking to propose an alternative. Project Monnet, led by Christos Floros, aims to rethink social networks by incorporating European values of neutrality, transparency and user protection. Is such a project feasible? Can it really do better than the giants of the sector? We spoke to Stéphanie Lukasik, a researcher at the University of Luxembourg and coordinator of the Medialux project, who provides some background on the need for such a project.