How much do you pay for your rent? He’s 10, but he sleeps with socks on. How much do you give him? Who is the Prime Minister of Canada? … Vox pops or sidewalk microphones have been leaving their journalistic enclave for several years to invite themselves onto social networks in the name of entertainment. But at what cost?
On TikTok, the hashtag #microtrottoir had more than 8.3 billion views on Wednesday, and that was only in French. Its English counterpart, #streetinterview, had 11.3 billion, and these numbers are constantly increasing, points out Cynthia Noury, doctor of communications at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), who made microwalks the subject of her dissertation.
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Cynthia Noury looks at the best practices to use when creating a vox pop. She has published infographics aimed at content creators to encourage more collaborative and responsible use of the sidewalk mic.
Photo: Nathalie St-Pierre
Cynthia Noury, a former journalist, was sometimes sent into the field to collect statements on all sorts of topics, but she was rarely satisfied with the final edit.
I always found that there was a gap between the wealth of encounters I had locally […] and the end result, which only took 15 to 20 seconds.
His observation: The voice of vox pop is never the voice of the audience. It is a narrative tailored to the needs of the narrator. And what we find in this area on social networks is no exception.
An unstoppable trend
Advertising, humor, influential content … According to the specialist, the fact that the sidewalk microphone is so popular today is not surprising: the format is universal, inexpensive, many topics are suitable for it, it is easy to manufacture and many people want to express themselves.
The trend has even attracted comedian Guy Nantel, who has become a leading figure in Quebec for more than a decade.
His method, a montage of the audience’s worst answers to general knowledge questions, was often criticized. So much so that his recent videos use a more transparent formula: We now see people signing a waiver and agreeing to not necessarily look good on screen.
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This brings us into gray areas. Because for a journalist or a comedian, the goal of vox-pop is not the same.
In a journalistic vox pop there is a clear ethical framework. This contains guidelines for conducting interviews. Worst case scenario, you ended up doing it [le protecteur du citoyen]. There are far fewer tags on social networks, she emphasizes.
Ethical issues
Sherbrooke content creator Rémy Michel, whose TikTok channel @remzzz___ has nearly 70,000 subscribers, has made sidewalk microphones his trademark since debuting online about a year and a half ago.
Although he started making videos with the personal goal of improving his communication skills, he always wanted his content to be constructive. I have the impression that most vox pops often leave negative images of the speakers. I think it’s a shame that the person is so disparaged.
He has even become a well-known figure in the Carrefour de l’Estrie shopping center, his main venue for his videos, where he questions passers-by to whom he passes the microphone on all sorts of topics.
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But it wasn’t always like this: He admits that he initially filmed in the shopping center without having the necessary permits.
In principle, we are not allowed to film in a shopping center. I was lucky I didn’t get caught.
The director of Carrefour told us [repérés], we met her. She told us that she had seen our videos and liked what we were doing. We now have an agreement with the marketing team. “We even did a campaign for them in December,” says the man, who also hosts the podcast “Les colocs”.
Vox pop is a practice of presenting yourself as a brand, as an influencer. And as we create this audience, we will simultaneously commercialize it, explains Cynthia Noury.
Quebec influencer Aly Brassard, whose TikTok account is followed by more than 520,000 people, took a brief foray into the world of street microphones during a trip to Paris this summer.
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I wanted to make fun content but also see the difference between Quebec and France in expressions in French, for example mentions of the content creator, which are also present on YouTube.
Her method: film continuously while trying to capture some witness statements. It’s pretty explicit, you have the camera in front of your face and I’m asking you if you’re okay with answering my questions and having it posted on TikTok. “If I can’t get consent at the beginning, I try to get it later,” she explains, adding that it doesn’t drive her crazy either.
In one of my TikToks, I asked a girl a question and she took the plunge. I didn’t even speak to her, she didn’t speak French. But it was too funny and random not to publish.
Rémy Michel and Aly Brassard agree: If someone writes to them and asks for a video to be removed, they don’t hesitate for a second to do so.
More transparency required
A few years ago, an influencer caused a stir by holding up his microphone while leaving bars, a practice that should be avoided according to Cynthia Noury, but not with Aly Brassard.
I find these videos funny. However, from an ethical perspective this raises a very interesting question. Will the person remember it? Is she okay with the fact that it will be published? asks Aly Brassard, adding that she would seek approval once she fasts.
The question of transparency also arises when it comes to advertising content. Under the hashtag #streetinterview on TikTok, the word ad (ad in French) rarely appeared in Cynthia Noury’s searches.
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When the content is sponsored, Aly Brassard and Rémy Michel demonstrate transparency: They don’t want to take the risk, they force people to sign waivers, says the TikToker.
However, according to the communications doctor, it is difficult for Internet users to recognize whether informed consent has been given. When we end up finding out how the content creator does it, it’s often because there was controversy.
I would like us to find a little comment somewhere or something that says there was a consent form, for example.
Even though Cynthia Noury is critical of the way content creators use this format, she still believes it is necessary work. “It is particularly important to be interested in vox-pop because it speaks about us and aims to spread the public voice and allows us to be more critical of what we see,” she says.
What is certain is that, according to Cynthia Noury , the street microphone will not die: it has survived the centuries and will find a way to renew itself for a long time to come.