Internet Usage in Japan
The day before yesterday a government statistic came out which said that Japan’s Net user population tops 60% for 1st time in 2003.
Yesterday I taught the new freshmen for the first time, a group of nine delightful, wide-awake, responsive young Japanese. I asked how many of them used e-mail. All of them did, that’s 100% in statistical terms. Then I asked how many of them knew how to view a page on the Web. One did, that’s a little over 10%. I mentioned this fact to a professor here at the Department, and he responded with a wry smile: yes, he said, this shows that they’re from good high schools, which focus only on the subjects that are tested for in university entrance exams.
The government statistic, in other words, needs to be taken with a grain of salt or two. In this country, Internet usage largely means cell phone e-mail, a cheaper alternative to using the keitai as a telephone. The Web can be accessed via the cell phone, but it’s a radically pared-down version of the Web, fragmented between three mutually incompatible markup languages, with corporate gatekeepers controlling the content that users access.
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Ya, I’ve heard a lot about it too in various other media. It seems strange to imagine one of the most technologically developed countries having so low an internet literacy level.
The internet’s popular use is still pretty new, I wonder how this will affect future generations and the economy farther down the line.
btw: In a month or two, I’ll be switching my blog off to a proper Movabletype site! Still learning the basics of css and stuff though, and advice or pitfalls to be wary off? See my blog for detail of just email me :)
thanks