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Introduction

In recent years, the notion of digital risk has invaded the media. Numerous publications suggest that digital technology is a source of all sorts of threats, whether at the informational, psycho-social, ethical, cognitive, health, technical, socio-economic, legal or environmental level. For example, we can cite the denunciation of the risks of addiction and “techno-addiction” linked to screens among young people¹ or the impoverishment of reading practices² and thought³. This risk-based approach tends to solidify the description of individual and social practices in categories that do not reflect their evolution and diversity, nor the capacity of actors to innovate, which implies taking risks.

The intention of this book is to go beyond a stigmatizing approach to risk. Instead, it is to consider it as the center of discourses, representations and practices. It is necessary to deconstruct and understand it in order to propose tailored support.

According to Ulrich Beck, “risks designate a future that must be prevented from happening”. Real and imaginary at the same time, they are, in his view, “an event that has not yet occurred which motivates action”⁴. This “growing appearance of risk in the world” is also denounced by Patrick Peretti-Watel. For him, risk “is a danger without cause, a damage without fault, which nevertheless becomes predictable and calculable”⁵. The perception of digital risks therefore motivates individuals to act, but how? And in what ways? How do they critically assess their practices?

The term digital risk is often used to designate the dangers linked to the security of computer systems, particularly in computer science and management science. The field of law is also concerned notably around the problems of information security, personal data protection⁶ and e-reputation⁷. Other publications also concern ethical issues, in sensitive areas of personal information protection, such as health.

In psychology, digital risks are treated from the point of view of cognitive overload⁸ and addictions⁹. The notion of informational risk is often linked to knowledge management¹⁰, problems of manipulation and critical evaluation of sources¹¹ and information asymmetry¹². For the manager of a company, the digital risk is linked to the security of data, strategic information or the reputation of the company.

With regard to education and the perception of risks associated with the use of digital technologies, a report published by Christine Dioni in 2008, (The student’s job and the teacher’s job in the digital age), emphasized the problems of discrepancy between the perceptions of students and teachers, as well as between mutual perceptions and the reality of practices¹³. Just over 10 years later, what is the situation now?

The stakes of digital practices in terms of learning¹⁴ and the socioeconomic risks linked to the digital divide¹⁵ lead the actors of education to ponder effective means of confronting them. The idea of media risks is also used to denounce inappropriate content, such as violence, incitement to hatred or pornography on the Internet, calling for the establishment of standards¹⁶. The risk of ideological and political manipulation is currently back in the media spotlight through the analysis of conspiracy theories, the topic of “fake news” and young people’s susceptibility to propaganda.

For the educator, risk is also linked to the illicit use of information by students, in particular, the use of information that falls under law (law on the freedom of the press of 1881, law of July 13, 1990, known as the Gayssot law, prohibiting the dissemination of information of a revisionist, racist or sexist nature, or that promotes intolerance, for example). Many other uses can be problematic, such as disrespecting others, the privacy of teachers, education staff or other students. So-called “cyberbullying” situations via Web 2.0 tools are also problems that educators have to deal with (messages or video broadcasting via personalized and live channels on Snapchat or Periscope, for example). The digital practices of young people are all the more complex as they mix creativity and skills development, intimacy and self-exposure. What these multidisciplinary works have in common is that they seek to identify what digital technology does to the individual and to society in different contexts (educational, professional, political, etc.). The objective of this book is to compare the discourses on risk with the practices and representations of the actors in different professional fields and in the educational field, and subsequently, to explain their stakes in a digital context.

Our assumption is that individuals are armed with resilience¹⁷ in a changing world. The perception of digital risks can be a resource or a lever to develop a critical culture in a digital context¹⁸. The contributions in this book present the means we have today to move from risk perception to risk information, from information to knowledge, and from knowledge to action¹⁹. They will be of particular interest to teachers, trainers, mediators, information and media professionals.

The book is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the perception of risks in education and shows how the Internet currently constitutes an ecosystem in which the relationship between the teacher and their students is inevitably positioned.

Chapter 1 shows the impact of alarmist discourses on educational practices through a study on the representations of digital risks among young teachers. These discourses seem to have an important resonance with teachers when they start their career and can dissuade them from implementing any digital practice at school with students.

Chapter 2 focuses on adolescents’ perceptions of fake news. The study highlights variations in reflexivity towards critical evaluation of sources and disinformation across different age groups of students.

Chapter 3 aims to better understand the pedagogical positions and choices of teachers, particularly in the area of Media and Information Literacy. Based on a survey conducted among teachers, the representations and non-formal practices identified lead the author to advocate for a cultural approach to digital education in professional training.

The second section deals with informational risks, as well as economic and social risks in professional environments. It focuses on the practices used to deal with these situations.

In Chapter 4, the authors look at information risk from the point of view of business leaders. They show that this notion is broader than digital or computer risk, which is restricted to digital media. The risks mentioned by managers in the context of their security policy include many informational risks linked to other media.

Chapter 5 highlights the difficulties faced by organizations in Cameroon in dealing with the risks of scams and fraud in the use of cell phones by the population. Despite attempts at prevention by institutional organizations and cell phone operators, users suffer from an information deficit and the lack of means of action is not conducive to optimal mediation of these risks.

The third section looks back at the practices and mediations around digital risks in education. In particular, it examines the contribution of Media and Information Literacy, as implemented in schools in France.

Chapter 6 shows that the notion of risk is often the starting point for pedagogical practices concerning digital uses and appears to be deeply rooted in the teachers’ vision of information culture. Although school learning practices are still quite far removed from the private sphere, we can see that teachers in the field are concerned with developing knowledge in students that they can transfer from one context of use to another.

Finally, Chapter 7 compares the discourse of teachers in primary education with institutional texts concerning Media and Information Literacy. This comparison shows that the development of digital culture advocated in institutional texts remains a vague subject for primary school teachers. Beyond the operational approach to the use of digital tools, it is confirmed that primary school teachers lack training in the cultural approach to the web and its media.

1 Introduction written by Camille CAPELLE.

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