Mobile Phones As A Way Of Life In Japan
from the extension-of-self dept
That the Japanese have have adopted mobile phones much faster than the US is no surprise. For years, people have been looking to Japan to see "what's coming next" in mobile phones (though, some suggest that South Korea is a much better example). A few years ago, before text messaging was used in the US, there were stories everywhere about how popular it was in Japan. Now that it's catching on in the US, people are looking at Japan again to see what they're doing, and what might be coming next to the US. The article paints a picture of a society where mobile phones are more than just a tool, but have become "a way of life" or an virtual extension of its owner. Many Japanese use their mobile phones in the same way that others use laptop computers, finding it easier to just use the mobile phone instead. Some are apparently worried that people are talking less and are less aware of the outside world around them, preferring to focus all their attention into the world at their thumb tips - though, this feels like the typical reaction people often have to new technologies (it's the same way some people initially reacted to the internet in general). The article also quotes some in Japan who dispute the notion that the Japanese experience is abnormal, and saying the only reason it hasn't gone this far in the US is that US wireless carriers have screwed up. Of course, as with any such article (especially coming from such a mainstream news source), this one simplifies a lot of the factors, both in Japan and elsewhere, that have helped drive mobile phone use in Japan, but is still an interesting read.
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The bigger picture
Cell phones are popular now because most people are afraid of real computers. The notion of using the web to buy things, do research, is still alien to most Japanese. Their cell phones have an "i-mode" which amounts to a glorified touch-tone system, where you can order a few things that are advertised on billboards.
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p.s.
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Re: The bigger picture
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Mobile Phone in Japan
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Re: Mobile Phone in Japan
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