世論 What Japan Thinks

goo Ranking asked their survey group to choose the times they come to want to quit using SNS (Social Network Services).

Demographics

Over the 9th and 10th of January 2013 1,072 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 59.4% of the sample were female, 8.5% in their teens, 14.1% in their twenties, 29.8% in their thirties, 27.1% in their forties, 10.4% in their fifties, and 10.2% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

I’m not much for SNS and it doesn’t really bother me what others think, but if I consider blogging instead, number three has to be my biggest downer!
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japan.internet.com reported on a recent survey by Neo Marketing into the true feelings (honne) of SNS users and found rather a lot getting a bit tired of the social grind.

Demographics

As with most non-goo Research surveys, the demographic information was lacking; 1,000 SNS users of both sexes between the ages of 20 and 49 completed a (presumably private) internet-based questionnaire at some unspecified date.

I keep my SNS usage to a minimum; indeed, my wife uses my Facebook account more than me, every day checking up on a few people to see what they are up to, whereas my usage is 99% automated reposts of this blog. I am more active on Google Plus, but as I find nothing wrong with just ignoring people (sorry, that’s just my character!) it never gets too burdensome.

Regarding Q3 and the dissatisfaction of getting requests from unknown people, I believe that when you sign up with Facebook and enter where you live, Facebook prompts you with a list of people nearby, so I occasionally get requests from Facebook newbies who live in the same town and probably think it would be cool to have a foreign friend. I, of course, just ignore them.

The article also had a quote from the head of a psychiartric clinic in Tokyo, saying that they are seeing a few patients having stress from work through SNS, which they have termed “social harrassment”. The doctor recommended taking a break from SNS now and again, and suggested avoiding it just before bedtime and/or Sundays.
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A recent survey from MMD Laboratory entitled 2012 smartphone user insight survey confirmed a trend I have seen with my own eyes; SNS usage, in particular LINE, has really taken off.

Demographics

Few demographics were presented; just that over the 18th and 19th of December 2012 670 smartphone using members of the MMD monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was aged between 20 and 59 years old.

When I initially read this survey, I was surprised to see email not featured anywhere, but finally I noticed that it was considered a built-in function. What I would really like to learn, though, is what people use for their main email provider; is it their carrier’s functionality or do they choose GMail or other third-party providers?
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The results of this survey from goo Research into SNS (Social Networking Service) usage as reported by japan.internet.com produces a couple of headscratch-worthy results, the one in the title and that maintaining friendships is more important than deepening them.

Demographics

Between the 8th and 11th of May 2012 1,076 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.8% of the sample were male, 15.9% in their teens, 18.6% in their twenties, 21.6% in their thirties, 16.3% in their forties, 15.7% in their fifties, and 12.0% aged sixty or older.

On second thoughts, perhaps maintaining is more important than deepening or widening from a Japanese perspective? Class reunions, for instance, are a regular feature of many people’s lives here, for all of primary, secondary and tertiary education levels. Perhaps these events are viewed more as an obligation, thus Facebook and mixi provide an easy way to link together and fulfil one’s societal role?

For me, both obtaining and generating information is most important, but that’s more because I am an anti-social git…
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Or any other SNS for that matter, in this goo Ranking survey looking at what words or actions by friends on social networking services rile people.

Demographics

Over the 29th of February and the 1st of March 2012 1,175 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 61.4% of the sample were female, 10.0% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 29.3% in their thirties, 24.1% in their forties, 10.6% in their fifties, and 9.5% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

I don’t really spend enough time on SNSes to have many of my own, although for some reason friends pushing the Like or +1 button on posts that I disagree with does annoy me a little. Thinking a bit more about it, I find things tiresome rather than annoying, I suppose, but then I am an anti-social git…
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goo Research recently took a look at keeping in touch with close friends, with the surprising result in the headline reported in japan.internet.com.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 24th of March 2012 1,082 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.8% of the sample were male, 16.5% in their teens, 17.8% in their twenties, 21.6% in their thirties, 16.1% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 12.3% aged sixty or older.

Knowing what I know about Japan, email and telephone being top are not surprising to me, but I was most taken aback by ordinary post coming in third! Thinking more closely, the mixi, Twitter and Facebook figures correlate to the penetration of these SNS within Japan, but I suspect that the old-fashioned post includes New Year postcards, where even I often exchange annual greetings with ex-colleagues who have moved to other divisions within my employer.
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With the last posting day before New Year getting ever closer, this survey from goo Research, reported on by japan.internet.com, into New Year postcards is a reminder to us all to get ours finished.

Demographics

Between the 29th of November and the 1st of December 2011 1,083 members of the goo Research online monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.9% of the sample were male, 16.5% in their teens, 18.3% in their twenties, 21.4% in their thirties, 16.2% in their forties, 15.7% in their fifties, and 11.9% aged sixty or older.

I haven’t actually got round to even ordering my New Year postcards yet, and as I’ve been at our work Christmas end of year party tonight I’m in no fit state, so that’s another day closer to the deadline… Note, I’ve prepared this post ahead of time, so any mistakes are just the usual me, not the beer’s fault!
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This short report from japan.internet.com on a survey from goo Research on SNS (Social Network Service) privacy produced some interesting results that seem to run counter to the popular image of Japanese SNS users.

Demographics

Between the 16th and 19th of May 2011 1,082 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.2% of the sample were male, 16.4% in their teens, 18.8% in their twenties, 21.5% in their thirties, 15.8% in their forties, 15.3% in their fifties, and 12.2% aged sixty or older.

Note that in this survey, Twitter counts as an SNS, although I’ve never really understood why. Also note that the public viewing described below might be limited to only friends.
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The results from this recent survey from goo Research and reported on by japan.internet.com into online services may not be too reliable for SNS as number two and number three in the list, GREE and Mobage Town, are both mobile phone-based social gaming sites and I feel that the demographic they appeal to differs significantly from the more PC-oriented goo monitor group. I have no data to back up this, so take it with an appropriately-sized pinch of salt.

Demographics

Over the 25th and 26th of January 2010 1,102 members of the goo Research online monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.8% of the sample were male, 16.5% in their teens, 18.5% in their twenties, 20.9% in their thirties, 15.9% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties and 12.6% aged sixty or older.

I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and even have uploaded a couple of videos to YouTube.
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Just in time for the New Year nengajo postcard season, goo Research performed a survey, reported on by japan.internet.com, into that subject, with the report focusing on a service from mixi, Japan’s largest SNS, that allows people to send physical postcards to virtual friends, while maintaining the pseudo-anonymity of people’s online handles.

Demographics

Over the 7th and 8th of December 2010 1,098 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.9% of the sample were male, 16.8% in their teens, 18.1% in their twenties, 21.6% in their thirties, 16.1% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 11.8% aged sixty or older.

Since Facebook doesn’t offer such a service for Christmas cards (as far as I know), I can conclude that either such a degree of privacy is of no great concern to the average Facebook user or that the average user has no urge to send cards to their Facebook friends. Perhaps it might be more of the second, as surveys have found that Japanese have a significantly lower number of social network friends, indicating that they are more discerning about who they befriend.

Q3 is a quite surprising result from my point of view; note that the question refers to disclosing your address to mixi only, not to your contacts on the SNS, yet 70% don’t feel too happy about doing so.
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