New Forms of Communication, What is the "Omni-Directional Appeal" Mindset?

Wakamon Real captures the "present state of young people" through their raw voices, seeking a future where youth and society build better relationships. Young people who master SNS daily and make "one-to-many" communication their norm.

As human connections diversify, they constantly act while being conscious of how they are perceived—how they "come across"—by others: by the opposite sex, by the same sex, by society, essentially by "everyone they're connected to." Wakamon defines this mindset of "wanting to be well-received by everyone they're connected to" as "Omni-Directional Appeal."

This Wakamon Real examines the reality of youth-specific communication through the lens of "omni-directional appeal," based on interviews with Kansai university students who are particularly sensitive to "how they're perceived."

Producing "Inside" and "Outside" through Selective Use of Communication Tools

Four male and female students from Kansai universities participated in this survey. To uncover the reality of their communication, we first explored their SNS usage—essential to their interactions—to understand their sense of "how well something goes over."

"In terms of frequency, it's LINE > Twitter > Facebook. The content I post and how I use them differs too," says K.

Living in an era where "connections" have expanded enormously due to the emergence of various communication tools beyond just email and phone calls, such as SNS, they consciously adjust the content they share and the tone of their conversations depending on the tool, considering how it will be perceived by the diverse range of people on the other end. University students, in particular, are sensitive to the awareness of how they are perceived by people already working in "society" – their "social appeal."

For example, when exchanging contact info with someone new, "I swap LINE accounts with friends my age, but with working adults, I exchange Facebook or Gmail," says M. U adds, "If I ask someone older for their LINE account, they'd probably think, 'How young!' That's why I exchange Facebook or Gmail. And when posting on Facebook, I'm conscious that people from companies might be watching."

Their basic rule is not to show their student-like behavior (the "inside") to working adults (the "outside"). Underlying this selective use of communication tools is an awareness of being well-received from all angles, including social acceptance. They routinely self-produce how they are perceived from both the "inside" and the "outside." This is also reflected in N-kun's words.

"I mostly use LINE to contact friends. On Twitter, I tweet about being alone at university or post silly, funny photos and videos. Facebook connects me with working adults, so I don't post that kind of stuff there."

A stronger "I don't want to be disliked" mindset than "wanting to be popular"

Key to understanding this "all-around appeal" is the desire to be popular with the opposite sex. When I bluntly asked N-kun, who currently has a partner, and K-kun, who doesn't, "Do you want to be popular?", both immediately replied, "Of course, I want to be popular." However, they both agreed they don't actively participate in "places for meeting people" like mixers or clubs, and even if they did go, they wouldn't report it to friends or share it on social media.

"If I go to mixers or clubs, people think I'm a player. I hate being seen that way, not just by the opposite sex but by my own friends too, so I'm careful," (N-kun)

"The truth is, there's demand for matchmaking parties from both men and women. I even considered organizing such events at one point, but I got labeled as 'too eager' by everyone, and since it wouldn't make me popular anyway, I gave up" (K-kun).

They want to be popular, but they don't want to be seen as someone actively chasing popularity. They want opportunities to meet people, but they don't want to be seen as someone actively seeking them out. Women also empathize with this mindset.

"People who seem like they're just out to play or aggressively pursue hookups get disliked by their own gender. Since I tend to get seen as someone who dresses flashy and parties, I tweet about studying to show I'm actually serious (laughs)." (Ms. U)

"Even when I go to a group date, I only post photos on SNS where it's just me with the girls (laughs). I want to share that I had fun, but I don't say it was a group date—I just say something vague like 'The drinking party was fun!'" (Ms. M)

The desire to "not be disliked by anyone" is stronger than the desire to "be popular." Behind this "pleasing everyone" approach lies their sensitivity to the reactions of those around them. As U-san also mentioned, "At girls' nights out, everyone dresses flashier and wears cute clothes. At mixers, it's the opposite—I go for safe outfits so I don't stand out." This reveals a particular tendency to be conscious of the gaze of their peers.

Taking a breather by "locking the door"

This "all-around appeal" mindset, where they act while constantly worrying about 360-degree evaluations, seems like it would be stressful to an outsider. However, they appear to be effectively using communication tools to take breaks.

For instance, three out of the four students interviewed here maintain two or more Twitter accounts. They use "locked" accounts, visible only to specific people, for candid conversations. The audience for these private accounts is limited to a few close friends: "About ten friends from high school" (U-san), "Only people I've spent deep, long times with in real life" (N-kun). The content tweeted is mostly inside jokes. "On Twitter, you post while worrying about what followers think, and whether everyone will like it is the standard. With locked accounts or LINE groups, you don't have to worry about that. We just let loose within our tight-knit circle (laughs)," says N. Some even share slightly unsettling anecdotes, like U-san's: "There are people who tweet 'Drinking party is fun♪' on their public account, then slip their true feelings on their private one: 'Wanna go home soon and eat ramen' (laughs)."

They've naturally developed a sense of "public" and "private" without forcing it. While communicating with an "everyone-pleasing" mindset to avoid being disliked by anyone, they also secure spaces on SNS to vent their true feelings, effectively relieving stress. As U-san mentioned, "Right after entering university, we were taught in class to be careful with Facebook and Twitter because you never know who might be watching," suggesting that guidance on internet literacy—a growing social issue—is gradually taking root.

Of course, spaces for interaction among friends exist outside of SNS. Ms. M, who attended an all-girls middle and high school and now attends a women's university, said this:

"The women's university campus is like a real 'locked room.' We all cooperate and stick together to ensure information discussed on campus doesn't leak outside. We share lots of complaints, honest feelings, and things we can't say or write on SNS (laughs)."

On the surface, there's the "all-around appeal"—the desire to avoid being disliked by anyone. Behind that lies the "inner circle"—a space to vent genuine feelings. Young people's communication thrives on this delicate balancing act.

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【Wakamon Profile】
Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department (nicknamed Wakamon) is a planning team that engages with the real lives and mindsets of young people, primarily high school and university students. We seek insights from their present to find hints for brightening and revitalizing the near future. By anticipating the future through their perspectives, we realize new businesses that foster better relationships between young people and society. Currently, 14 project members are based across our Tokyo headquarters, Kansai branch, and Chubu branch. Information is also shared on the Wakamon Facebook page.