While internet users worldwide are now proudly boasting a growing online contacts list made up of people they know, people they used to know, people they can’t remember how they know, people they would rather not know (but can’t say NO to), and people who they want to know, a recent study has revealed that Japan just doesn’t want to know.
TNS, a large market research company, took a look at online antics across the globe, studying 50,000 surfers in 46 countries. It found that when it comes to social networking, Japanese people are keeping their online profiles close to their chests and their ‘friends’ list reserved only for their friends, which on average is reportedly around 29 on sites such as facebook and Twitter. So what has happened? In a country where people live online why have the biggest social networking sites failed to work their magical powers?
Is Japan just too sexy to be social? Or is there another explanation? Speculative reasons for such a poor show on these very popular sites fit nicely in to the category of ‘cultural differences’. According to some it is the instinctive need for privacy that discourages the Japanese from turning a molehill of vaguely known people into a mysterious contact mountain. At first glance this is a very admirable quality and it almost, almost makes us westerners take a good look inwards at our loose and unrestrained online behaviour and do some ‘friend cleansing.’
Is Japan just too sexy to be social? Or is there another explanation? Speculative reasons for such a poor show on these very popular sites fit nicely in to the category of ‘cultural differences’. According to some it is the instinctive need for privacy that discourages the Japanese from turning a molehill of vaguely known people into a mysterious contact mountain. At first glance this is a very admirable quality and it almost, almost makes us westerners take a good look inwards at our loose and unrestrained online behaviour and do some ‘friend cleansing.’
But then we realise that where in the West we may have 850 friends (who we know, love dearly and will be coming round for Christmas lunch) in Japan they have affiliated themselves to a home-grown social networking site, Mixi, with more than 25 million users which does not require you to use your real name. In the name of privacy, this is great, but in the West a ‘face off’ social networking site is obviously much less appealing.
The statistics are interesting however, with Japan coming in third after China and the US for having the highest internet usage in the world, the relatively low figures of users on these social networking sites should be a concern only for the networking sites themselves. For companies or networking sites that want to have an impact worldwide, it goes without saying that they have to learn to tailor their procedures and systems to be appealing to all, taking into account different cultures and needs.
The statistics are interesting however, with Japan coming in third after China and the US for having the highest internet usage in the world, the relatively low figures of users on these social networking sites should be a concern only for the networking sites themselves. For companies or networking sites that want to have an impact worldwide, it goes without saying that they have to learn to tailor their procedures and systems to be appealing to all, taking into account different cultures and needs.
Another function of the popular Mixi site is that all users are able to track those who have been looking at their profile. This seems to be a selling point for our friends on the other side of the world and if Facebook want to entice more customers to its virtual door, applying this function for Japanese users could be an option. So whilst some ask how long it will take for Japan to reach the same level of usage on the social/virtual front, it might well be more of a question of how long it will take for social networking sites to appeal to all by transcending cultural boundaries.
Blogger Asiajin summarizes Facebooks problem as follows: "The biggest problem is lack of Japanese applications. I agree that Facebook third-party applications are a good driving force which Mixi, Mobage-Town and Gree do not have (so far).
However, most of them are not localized, even though the main menus are translated by volunteers. Current Japanese users are English-friendly techies and enjoying English-origined applications. But most people do not like any English menu/contents on website except something used as design accent (roman alphabets are thought as “cool” for Japanese youth. As some western people love Chinese letters tatoos).
If, even if Facebook can get attentions of Japanese developers, and let them make all-Japanese facebook applications, then another problem comes up. What happens if a Japanese user invites his/her English friend to the Japanese application? System localization does not cover application menu localization, nor application contents localization." (RCRWireless)
However, most of them are not localized, even though the main menus are translated by volunteers. Current Japanese users are English-friendly techies and enjoying English-origined applications. But most people do not like any English menu/contents on website except something used as design accent (roman alphabets are thought as “cool” for Japanese youth. As some western people love Chinese letters tatoos).
If, even if Facebook can get attentions of Japanese developers, and let them make all-Japanese facebook applications, then another problem comes up. What happens if a Japanese user invites his/her English friend to the Japanese application? System localization does not cover application menu localization, nor application contents localization." (RCRWireless)
