Social Media = Social Interaction Media

Hirota: Last October, when Facebook's Mark Darcy visited Japan for "AdTech Tokyo," he emphasized that "authenticity is crucial for Facebook's future." In Japan too, it's often said that when sharing information on social media, the sender's sincere behavior matters more than the information itself. It's a space where your attitude—whether you genuinely engage with your audience (fans)—is visible.

Hamano: I see. It might sound old-fashioned, but what matters in the social media era is things like "courtesy," right? In human relationships, it's nice when you feel someone is considerate or thoughtful, isn't it? Social media is exactly the same. Take an athlete who diligently updates their Twitter—you think, "This person is worth following," and suddenly their followers surge.

Hirota: I think mass media will continue to play the role of instantly reaching large audiences with information. But even within mass media content, it's probably wise to value the fans who support that content the most. By responding thoughtfully and attentively to dedicated fans, they can become evangelists who energize the content, and that can further spread the buzz. By valuing those who both convey and connect, creators can feel a tangible response. For content to gain momentum, the passion of its core audience is still crucial.

Hamano: If we roughly divide the current media ecosystem, there are three main components: TV, Twitter, and Facebook. TV remains the most powerful device for instantly delivering content to a massive audience. Whether it's the Olympics, soccer, a general election, or AKB's general election, when it comes to delivering content featuring a decisive moment that everyone watches with bated breath simultaneously to a huge crowd, TV is unbeatable. That's something online streaming simply cannot achieve. Twitter is currently the strongest platform as a kind of public square for public viewings – where everyone collectively gets hyped up in a festival-like frenzy over something broadcast on TV or similar.

Facebook, on the other hand, is where core fans engage in daily interactions. It's the space for chatting with shop staff or other regulars in a real-world store.

To put it metaphorically: TV is the street-corner public viewing where the crowd gets wildly hyped up – that's Twitter. After it's over, Facebook is the pub where you go to drink and chat about it. And all of these are important, right? It's like how "the field trip isn't over until you get home" (laughs).

Watching soccer is one continuous experience, including drinking beer and making a racket. Each part is vital. Unless you can properly grasp all these behaviors and respond diligently, you can't effectively use social media for "customer service" or "social listening." It's not about just doing Twitter and expecting success.

Hirota: We say "social media" in one breath, but each platform has its distinct role. You need to create pathways for each, elevating fans' excitement or offering comfort. It's only through this coordination that truly explosive moments can be orchestrated.

Hamano: I think calling it "social media" is the problem to begin with. It sounds kinda novel, but really, social media is just a revival of the "relationship media" – or rather, the very things Japanese people have been ditching lately because they're too much trouble. I mean, I'm pretty much the type who's always avoided that kind of "relationship" stuff, so I can't really talk down to others, but honestly, it's no different than diligently sending New Year's cards or giving year-end gifts.

In fact, the more you look at social media, the more you see that the successful cases are always the ones where the old-fashioned "social obligations" are well-maintained. So, it's better to understand it as that kind of thing. I feel it's better not to perceive it as some mysterious, foreign "Black Ship"-like media arriving from overseas.

Hirota: Because social media is just a place full of people. There are bots sometimes, but (laughs)

Hamano: Exactly. There's really no mystery to it, and I don't think there's any need to be intimidated. On the flip side, I get the sense that younger generations, who haven't really done much of that relationship-building stuff, are starting to learn the importance of etiquette and manners just by engaging with social media. Things like "reading the air" or "KY" (socially clueless) were often talked about before social media emerged, and that's exactly what this is about. Because the internet and cell phones have become so pervasive, social interactions have become incredibly important. People are starting to say things like, "The world feels so small," "I feel like a fish out of water," "The atmosphere is suffocating," or "SNS is exhausting." Conversely, this also means we're returning to the traditional Japanese communication landscape.

So regarding this social shift, rather than thinking the world is changing strangely, it's probably best to think about half of it as a return to the past.

Hirota: For example, the revival of the living room as a communal space is another example.

Hamano: Yes. While the "living room" on Twitter isn't a physical space and you can't see faces, so it might seem unclear, functionally speaking, what's happening there is actually better understood as a return to the past.

Hirota: In that sense, rather than trying to create systems where users automatically spread information for us, projects that genuinely engage with the people there—seeing their faces, even if it's tough, and interacting carefully—tend to succeed better, right?

Hamano: Exactly.

Hirota: Exactly. Mark Darcy of Facebook famously said, "Facebook is old." Meaning Facebook is nothing new, just like the "chairs" used in neighborhood gatherings or home parties – it provides a place and opportunity for people to connect. It's nothing novel. It's just like chairs, something that has always been part of human interaction.

He also said, "All business is local business." If you look at Facebook Page specifications, you'll see that whether it's a huge corporation or a tiny mom-and-pop shop, having a Facebook Page means communicating with consumers on the same level as an individual. He's saying that all brands, big or small, become local businesses. In other words, it revives that sense of neighborhood connection, like the kind you have in your local community.

Hamano: That's a great analogy. I agree.

Hirota: Regarding successful local broadcasters using Facebook Pages, local stations are essentially the face of their community. They're one of the media outlets locals feel most connected to. At local stations, the "distance" between staff and viewers is incredibly close. For example, national network announcers feel very distant to us, but local station announcers might be walking through the shopping district and get casually called out by viewers saying, "We're rooting for you!" So, even on Facebook, comments from viewers feel intimate, and since staff can see the faces of their viewers, their feelings come across clearly.

One local station has a program for moms. On its Facebook page, local mothers gather, and daily chit-chat happens, centered around the show's topics. Reading the comments, you can really feel how much the program is loved. This daily interaction energizes the show. Staff members also report feeling more motivated now that they can hear viewers' voices directly through Facebook.

〔 To be continued 〕