世論 What Japan Thinks

japan.internet.com, in conjunction with goo Research, looked at the issue of communication on the internet. They surveyed 1,019 members of the goo Research Montiro group by means of a private internet survey. Demographically, 55.8% were female, 2.4% were teenagers, 1,8% in their twenties, 40.4% in their thirties, 26.0% in their forties, and 9.4% in their fiftes.

The survey’s keyword was 不快感, fukaikan, or discomfort; the moment when the survey respondent felt like cursing 「ムカっ！」, muka!, an exclamation abbreviated from むかつく, mukatsuku, a feeling of irritation or annoyance.

I’m surprised that only just over one in three had been offended on the web! Whether this reflects usage patterns that stay away from viper nests like the infamous 2-channel, or whether it shows people are desensitised, I am not sure, although Q3 does indicate that almost half the respondents find net communication more offensive than face-to-face, suggesting it might be usage patterns more than sensitivity that determines whether or not people take offence.

Q1: Have you ever felt uncomfortable due to net communications such as on bulletin boards, mailing lists, chat, email, SNS, blogs (including trackbacks or comments), etc? (Sample size=1,019)

Yes (to Q2)	38.3%
No	61.7%

Q2: In what sort of communities did you get your uncomfortable feelings? (Sample size=390, multiple answer)

	Votes	Percentage
Bulletin board	254	65.1%
Mail	118	30.3%
Blog (including comments or trackbacks)	100	25.6%
Chat	61	15.6%
Mailing list	29	7.4%
SNS	21	5.4%
Other	6	1.5%

When asked what was the cause of these unpleasant feelings, the top answer, with 174 people or 44.6% reporting it, was a lack of politeness or courtesy in the other person’s words; next was 136 people, or 34.9%, offended by obscene or vulgar language; then 88 people, or 22.6%, felt uncomfortable being ridiculed or by other rash remarks; and 77 people, or 19.7%, disliked slanderous remarks. There were other sources of discomfort, but these were not listed.

Q3: On mailing lists, bulletin boards, chat, email, etc, when you have felt discomfort, do you think the degree of annoyance was stronger than for face-to-face communication? (Sample size=390)

Stronger than face-to-face	48.7%
Weaker than face-to-face	12.8%
Can’t say either way	38.5%