Week 2 Blog Post for Media in Japan

Our Next Terakoya for Media Literacy in the Cross-Media Era

Tokyo Olympics as a cornerstone for Japan’s media technology advancement

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was indisputably one of the social media highlights after the outbreak of COVID-19.

Despite all the controversies and criticisms that were haunting it, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics had finally begun. What made the event special was that it was broadcasted all over the world through ‘media’ under the circumstance of the pandemic.

While watching the event from abroad, I had constantly thought about the impacts and aftermath of the Olympics that; first, the Japanese media will be widely acknowledged for its advanced technology through the hosting experience and second, Japan’s efforts towards it is never a loss nor a tragedy but could be rather considered as a chance to experience a technological leap in the “Dawn of Cross-Media Era”.

Youtube channels as the next ‘terakoya’?

In retrospect, the revolutionary Japanese publishing culture based on the high literacy rate had put the nation as an icon of miraculous modernization and successful advancement throughout its own history. However, recent failures to adjust to paperless culture of mass media has strained the Japanese media calling for inevitable reforms. Magazines are enjoyed and continue to be a unique part of Japanese culture. Convenient stores still have a separate corner for printed media such as magazines, newspapers, and manga.

Simultaneously, Japan had recently been experiencing major mutations based on the fusion of social media and internet culture all based on the high-speed digital network. Today as we clearly witness, smart phones play an essential role as a kawara-ban of the modern era.

Once known as the web-phobic artists, Arashi continued its musical careers in limited media platforms beyond the live concerts; CD, TV, radio, and newspapers choosing a one-way interaction method to convey its music to audiences. Unexpectedly and at the same time, delightfully, the group had recently decided to launch its very own YouTube channels. Recently, Netflix also unveiled “ARASHI’s Diary -Voyage-“, an original documentary series about the J-pop artists’ musical careers which I had also enjoyed learning and delving into J-pop culture. This meant that they are now using interactive broadcasts such as the video sharing platforms in fusion with other media.

It was only a couple of decades ago that radio and TV was the main medium for music. Now, the Youtube Channels are becoming a window for subscribers/fans to more intimately and frequently interact with their beloved celebrities. More than ever, we see increasing involvement and participation within the online world, allowing for more people to conveniently access the wide pool of contents.

From this, we witness that the internet has greatly replaced the traditional media, offering new alternatives for the mass to experience and embrace the diverse aspects of the world, helping them to adjust to the fast-changing trends of media culture.

Therefore, the needs for ‘Media Literacy’ is highly demanded in order to survive in the modern world. It is time for not only Japan but also the rest of the world to be aware of growing “virtual communities” and be ready for further expected outcomes in the wave of digitization.