There are a few Japanese companies such as SoftBank and Fast Retailing (famous for Uniqlo brand) that have started leveraging social media, the majority of traditional Japanese companies are far behind in leveraging social media in their marketing, communication and business.
Will the situation remain the same over the next few years?
In this article, the author would like to introduce the essence of the survey result about how social media is used that was executed by Nikkei Computer, a leading Japanese magazine specialized in IT and computer.
The answer to the article title question is that although it requires time and overcoming possible hurdles, more Japanese companies would likely to start leverage social media.
1. What is the overview of the survey?
- Executed by: Nikkei PC, a leading Japanese magazine specialized in IT and computer
- Timing: April 20 – 28, 2011
- Respondents:
Gender: male = 93.2%, female – 6.6%
Age: less than 19 = 0.3%, 20s = 3.4%, 30s = 21.2%, 40s = 42.2%, over 50 = 30.7%
2. How are social media currently used?
1) Social media vehicles used
The most popular social media vehicle used is Twitter with 39.9%, followed by mixi (the leading local SNS) with 31.6% and Facebook with 24.4%. 5.1% replied as others (e.g. GREE and DeNA, Japan local SNS with gaming functions) while 44.6% replied that they do not use any.
Approximately 700 million people use Facebook worldwide but popularization of Facebook is still ongoing in Japan with only approximately 3 million people in Japan that use Facebook at present. Thus the reality is that it is far less people in Japan use Facebook compared with mixi used by 23 million people.
However, there is not such a big difference in number of people using the two SNS from the survey, which means Facebook is proliferating among the IT professionals (i.e. likely innovators and early adaptors of IT and social media).
2) Objectives of the social media use
Each social media vehicles is used with different objectives. Main objectives of using Twitter is getting information before traditional media (newspaper and TV) and reading tweets of celebrities to know their thoughts. On the other hand, SNS such as mixi and Facebook are primarily used to communicate casually with friends and acquaintances and connecting with new friends and acquaintances online.
Answer to the questions “what is your objective of using social media? (multiple answers accepted up to 3)” N=4,003
Answer / Twitter / Facebook / mixi
Get info before newspaper & TV / 49.3% / 31.9% / 5.8%
Casually communicate with friends & acquaintances / 31.9% / 60.1% / 71.5%
Know thoughts etc. of celebrities / 37.2% / 10.5% / 5.2%
Get info on products & services of interest / 20.6% / 12.1% / 8.6%
Get public info from government & administration / 10.2% / 2.2% / 0.3%
Post one’s thoughts & opinion / 30.9% / 20.3% / 20.4%
Connect with new friends & acquaintances 8.7% / 21.9% / 22.5%
Advertise & promote products & services / 2.7% / 3.2% / 0.5%
Enjoy applications & gaming / 0.6% / 3.4% / 12.5%
Others / 11.7% / 19.1% / 13.0%
Source: Nikkei Computer
3) How real name is revealed
83.4% of Facebook users reveal their real name in their profile but only 14.9% of Twitter users and 13.5% of mixi users reveal their real name on their profile.
The main reason for revealing their real name in social media profile is to make their friends and acquaintances be able to find them online by search.
4) Use of social media when the disaster occurred in March
23.3% respondents answered that social media was helpful in confirming safety of their family, friends, acquaintances and employees. This was because compared to phones social media was a far more stable communication tool in the turmoil of the disaster outbreak.
22.6% answered that they used social media to confirm the information of TV and newspapers, 20.2% answered that they used to get information posted by victims, and 20.1% answered to get public information from the national and local government.
The background of such use is the increase in value (reliability) of information shared by social media. 15.3% of social media users answered that social media has become more reliable than traditional media and 15.2% answered that social media has become as reliable as traditional media, when only 4.6% answered that social media has become less reliable than traditional media.
Having said that, challenges of social media were pointed out by respondents 63.2% answered that disinformation and incorrect information can be easily spread by social media and 34.1% answered that many users do not reveal their real name thus much information cannot necessarily be trusted.
5) Major comments from the respondents about importance of social media and outlook of its popularity
- Social media is good to share and obtain thoughts and opinions of various people.
- Validity of social media drew attention immediately after the disaster outbreak. People started to acknowledge social media as simply a communication tool to strategic information sharing tool.
- Guideline(s) should be developed to proactively leverage social media.
- Social media is useful in getting information but how to judge credibility would be an issue in social media operation.
- In Japan private use will probably increase more than business use.
- Social media is still only hot among partial online users and cannot yet understand its good points.
- Unreliable information is shared attributing to online anonymity which makes screening of accurate and valuable information difficult.
- People should not say they do not like/use social media without first trying it out.
- Information shared by social media is of variety of levels in reliability etc. and to leverage social media the user needs knowledge and competency (i.e. social media literacy).
3. How is social media used in companies – now and future?
1) Now
It is obvious from the results above that the respondents (i.e. representatives of innovators and early adaptors of IT and social media in Japan) have started to proactively use social media as “personal use”.
However, the companies and organizations they belong to are still struggling how to perceive and handle social media. Only 13.0% have already developed guidelines in employees using social media when as much as 43.9% have not developed and have no plan of developing such guidelines. There are some companies that classify social media as “web site banned from accessing or of warning”, which is an issue to be solved before developing such guidelines.
The background to such a situation is the fact that at present social media has not yet become something that can be useful at work. Only 1.8% answered that social media is vital at work and only 8.6% answered it is useful at work, when 51.6% answered that it is not useful at work.
2) Future
It is quite possible that social media will gradually proliferate in Japan, similarly to western countries. When asked how social media is likely to be in three years time, 5.7% answered that it will be vital at work, 21.1% answered that it will be useful at work and 36.3% answered that it will be of some reference at work.
4. The author’s final thoughts
It is not long before individuals and companies/organizations in Japan would need to think in earnest how to leverage social media.
Some of the things that need to be done on individual level include developing social media literacy so that then can distinguish valuable and reliable information from disinformation and incorrect information and being responsible of what information to share and how. The individuals also need to be mature to know and put into practice other netiquette such as not criticizing people and not violating privacy.
For the companies and organizations, they would first need to understand that they would be able to benefit from correct use of social media. Then they would need to commit themselves to leveraging social media and then develop social media guidelines and educate their employees/staff members, and develop and roll out their social media strategy.
References:-
Ogasawara, Kei (May 19, 2011) Social Media has Proliferated to the Majority, Its Reliability Increased by the Disaster (in Japanese)
http://itpro.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/Watcher/20110513/360312/?ST=cio&P=1
Resources:-
From the recent survey about social media executed to people representing innovators and early adaptors of IT and social media in Japan, it can be said that social media is spreading in Japan although mostly as private use. Business use will surely start to spread in the future as well, which requires individuals to improve their social media literacy and companies/organizations to develop guidelines, develop and roll out strategy, all with understanding that correct use of social media with commitment would be beneficial to them.
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