"It allows you to be in the wind, to be trendy": social networks, an effective voice for politicians?

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Holiday homework, episode 1, for the Prime Minister. On YouTube, François Bayrou, for 8 minutes, facing the camera, appeals to public opinion. "We will accept the efforts necessary to get out of this situation. It depends on each and every one of you," assures the head of government in his first speech on the platform, Tuesday, August 5.

In the middle of August, the method is enough to surprise the French. "It seems strange to me, I didn't expect this at all from him and it clearly shows that he is trying, I think, to speak to young people, to try to find an affordable way to address the French," analyzes a passerby. "It can also be a way, during political and parliamentary recesses, to reconnect with citizens," believes a young man.

He's officially announced that he won't be taking a vacation. With this video, François Bayrou is preparing for the start of the school year and attempting to establish a direct connection with the French people. He's not the first to try this. Jean-Luc Mélenchon was the pioneer on YouTube, a tool that the President of the Republic also regularly uses. Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella favor short videos on TikTok. But beware, venturing onto social media can be risky territory.

"It allows you to be in the wind, to be trendy. Now, it's very dangerous because it's a specific format, not everyone is good at it. A format that would be too talkative, a little like this first episode of François Bayrou's video, it risks being a bit of a flop," explains Émilie Zapalski, political communications officer. The Prime Minister has planned other episodes to explain his challenges for the start of the school year.