Profound Changes In Japanese Culture Are Aided by Social Media

Japanese culture traditionally values cooperation and putting the needs of the many over the individual. While there are certainly advantages to this, conformity and repression of individual voices – especially among Japan's younger population – are one of the negative side effects of this cultural view. However, many analysts have observed that social media have given Japan's youth the tools to express themselves as individuals. As more continue to do so, it seems that a profound change in Japan's traditional values is in the horizon, with social networks taking center stage. Social media has given a voice to young Japanese activists Japan has an extraordinarily high suicide rate, particularly in the younger population. Japanese cities have also started to face economic problems, some (like Yubari, a former mining city) have declared bankruptcy in recent years. Like most countries, Japan has its share of social unrest. However, activism is not common in this country. A recent investigative report by the BBC has uncovered that more young people in Japan are turning to Twitter and other social media networks to speak their mind, and by doing so, they are altering Japan's rigid social structures. Social media has also had an effect on the interaction of Japan's government and its people Japan's government has also traditionally been one where there is little interaction between elected officials and their constituents. While there is surprisingly little corruption in Japanese politics, the lack of activism in Japanese society has also led to a lack of individual participation and dialog with government officials. Japanese culture traditionally values cooperation and putting the needs of the many over the individual. While there are certainly advantages to this, conformity and repression of individual voices – especially among Japan's younger population – are one of the negative side effects of this cultural view. However, many analysts have observed that social media have given Japan's youth the tools to express themselves as individuals. As more continue to do so, it seems that a profound change in Japan's traditional values is in the horizon, with social networks taking center stage. Social media has given a voice to young Japanese activists Japan has an extraordinarily high suicide rate, particularly in the younger population. Japanese cities have also started to face economic problems, some (like Yubari, a former mining city) have declared bankruptcy in recent years. Like most countries, Japan has its share of social unrest. However, activism is not common in this country. A recent investigative report by the BBC has uncovered that more young people in Japan are turning to Twitter and other social media networks to speak their mind, and by doing so, they are altering Japan's rigid social structures. Social media has also had an effect on the interaction of Japan's government and its people Japan's government has also traditionally been one where there is little interaction between elected officials and their constituents. While there is surprisingly little corruption in Japanese politics, the lack of activism in Japanese society has also led to a lack of individual participation and dialog with government officials. Social media has started to change this gradually. Initially set up to communicate with the public after the natural disasters of recent years, Japan's prime minister's office's social media presence has expanded dramatically in the last year. Originally, this office's Twitter account and Facebook pages were used mostly to post news pertaining to the earthquake the country has suffered last year. However, the prime minister's office decided to keep these social media tools running as a way to establish a dialog with young Japanese citizens interested in their government's activity. This move has been so successful that the prime minister's office has now expanded to other various social networks and uses social media for other numerous purposes apart from simply posting news about important events. Social media has empowered Japanese women and ethnic minorities like never before Japan, and many other countries in the Asia Pacific have societies that are clearly dominated by men. Japan in particular has been known for having a “glass ceiling” that is quite difficult to surmount.  Researchers have observed that women in Japan are marrying at later ages, that they are earning more money than before, and that they are excelling in fields that were traditionally dominated by men. So, how does social media factor into this progress? Polls have shown that more women and minorities use social media websites than the prevailing population in the United States. It seems that a similar phenomenon is occurring in the modern Japanese society. Like in the West, social media has allowed  voices in Japanese societies that would normally have not been heard to find an outlet to express their opinions and to advocate for their own interests on a public platform. Traditional communications platforms, especially television and radio which are still the prevailing forms of mass media in Japan, have not been particularly adept at portraying the interests of women and minorities in Japan in the same proportion as the dominant segment of society. Social media has allowed women and minorities in Japan to discuss arts, culture, and news in a space that is their own. This has allowed Japanese women to connect with each other and has had a net positive effect on the country's female employment and entrepreneurship statistics in recent years. While women and minorities have been traditionally shushed in mainstream Japanese society, Twitter and Facebook has allowed this segment of the population to say what they want to say without fear of censorship. The many profound changes in Japanese culture can be traced to the increased social media activity in this country and the rising amount of people that are constantly connected due to the popularity of mobile technology in Japan.

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Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.   About the Guest Author: Nida Rasheed is a freelance writer and owner of an outsourcing company, Nida often finds herself wanting to write about the subjects that are closest to her heart. She lives in Islamabad, Pakistan and can be found on Twitter @nidarasheed.