Is the lack of digital tension causing the internet to lose its way? ──The present state of "netizens" as seen through a manga artist's imagination ~ Manga Artist Motoaki Mase

The manga "Democratia," depicting humanoid robots acting based on the majority vote of netizens, is gaining attention. While collective online wisdom has long been hoped to change the world for the better, the reality is that this isn't always the case. This work captures that reality with the sharp imagination unique to a manga artist. With internet-originated incidents and crimes on the rise, where are netizens—sometimes called "cyber citizens" or "cyber people"—headed now? We spoke with manga artist Motoaki Mase, creator of "Democratia" and "Ikigami."
(Interviewer: Yuzo Ono, Director of Planning and Promotion, Digital Business Division, Dentsu Digital Inc.)

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"Collective intelligence" manga—isn't that boring? Doesn't anyone read it?

──What were your first impressions when you encountered the internet and digital media?

Mase: At first, I thought it was amazing. It felt like a world of possibilities was opening up. But as the internet exploded in popularity, I gradually started to have more doubts. The form of communication was changing, and I began to feel this negative sensation—that while it seemed to be expanding, it was actually becoming more narrow. That feeling is what led to "Democratia" today.

──Indeed, the internet events depicted in your work often carry a rather dark image. What sparked the idea for "Democracy"?

Mase: Around the time my previous work, "Ikigami," ended its serialization, the "Arab Spring" erupted in the Middle East and elsewhere, toppling long-standing dictatorships one after another. The people's movements there relied heavily on social media. I had this image of revolution being something won through raw, bloody sacrifice, so I was astonished that a revolution could happen on Facebook and actually change a country's system.

That's when I thought it might be interesting to create a fictional SNS in a manga and depict the drama unfolding around it. By embodying SNS as human-like robots and having them interact with various people, I thought the fascination and fear inherent in collective intelligence and online public opinion might come to the surface.

── "Democratia" depicts the contradictions inherent in online collective intelligence, doesn't it? In theory, when everyone gathers and pools their wisdom, things should work out smoothly, yet in practice, it often veers off course.

Mase: In "Democratia," the robot's actions are fundamentally determined by the collective will of net users. The tricky part is that it isn't a simple majority vote system. When deciding how to operate the robot, user posts are first narrowed down to five proposals. At this stage, the three most popular proposals ("majority proposals") are listed in descending order of votes, while the remaining two are the two "single proposals" – ideas proposed by only one person that are completely opposite – listed in ascending order of submission time. The final proposal is then chosen by consensus. The key point here is that the single proposals are included in the choices.

Because even if you turn "collective intelligence" into a manga, it's not interesting, so nobody would read it (laughs). Unless you focus on the individual characters, it doesn't work as a piece of work.

──I see. So that's not just about creating manga, but suggests there's an inherent unreliability to the whole concept of "collective intelligence" online?

Mase: When discussing something, people passionately exchange opinions while carrying the weight of their respective positions. But when it becomes anonymous and open to anyone, opinions fly around without any understanding of each other's backgrounds. This is purely my personal view, but I find it hard to imagine anything substantial taking shape from that. Those who put something out there should bear the responsibility that comes with it. Whether it's work or publishing academic papers, sharing something means taking on responsibility. In a place without that responsibility, where people share without any burden, what they produce will surely never be great.

The internet seems to hold incredible potential, but isn't it true that many users are just endlessly circling the same ground? Sometimes it feels like we're trapped in a trap, caught up in something superficial. But perhaps those people are actually enjoying the endless circling, with no greater purpose than that.

──Could the fact that the online world has grown too vast also be a factor behind this?

Mase: Yes. When something gains momentum through the internet, I sometimes feel a sense of dissonance, as if the everyday and the extraordinary are being placed on the same plane.

Social media has made meeting and parting ways feel trivial.

──How do you personally interact with SNS?

Mase: Actually, I don't use SNS at all myself. Online, the people who send messages and the people who receive them are on the same playing field, right? I don't feel very comfortable with that. If I'm a receiver, I want to watch without complaint, like watching TV. Conversely, if I'm a sender, I want to keep sending. When those roles get mixed up, I don't know how to position myself there.

──I felt "Democracy" really captured the atmosphere of online communities, so it's a bit surprising to hear you have no personal experience with SNS or similar platforms.

Mase: I do occasionally look at posts on sites like 2channel to see what opinions people have on certain topics, just for reference.

Actually, I was invited to join Mixi a few years ago, but I quit almost immediately. I had nothing to say to an undefined crowd; I didn't know what to write. Abstract thoughts I ponder daily are best expressed in my comics—that's my message to the undefined crowd.

──Some experts point out that while the internet has the advantage of amplifying goodwill, it also has the disadvantage of amplifying ill will just as much.

Mase: It can run wild in either direction and easily become frenzied, right? I think it amplifies because emotions get overly charged. It's not exactly a witch hunt, but that "over-bashing" energy is unique to the internet. Plus, I feel the uniform, typed characters on a keyboard unnecessarily hurt people more.

──True, text carries its own nuances. I once heard about a software developed for a certain online community that let users write in a handwritten-style font. Apparently, that made the content less likely to go viral (laughs).

Mase: I get that feeling. With handwritten-style text, low-quality content that you wouldn't normally take seriously somehow gains an air of authority just by being printed, making it feel like it could be in a newspaper.

──Earlier in this interview series, a novelist pointed out that words have become lighter online. What are your thoughts on that?

Mase: Online, things move incredibly fast. There's this atmosphere that doesn't allow you to pause and think.

Beyond just words feeling lighter, I get the impression that human relationships themselves have become more superficial. If you have someone's mobile number, you can stay connected forever. On Facebook, you might reconnect with an ex-lover. Meeting and parting ways have become trivialized. Gradually, relationships themselves seem to lose their essence—they're no longer truly about meeting or parting. It feels like the resolve needed to engage with people is fading away.

──Many people involved in online business positively believe the internet will improve society.

Mase: When television first appeared, people said watching too much would make you stupid. I think everything has both positive and negative sides. I'm just focusing on the negative side, if anything.

My heart grows weary at the lack of resolve in digital creations, where you can just keep redoing things over and over.

──What role does the internet play in your own creative work?

Mase: While I have some resistance to the internet and online communities, I'm also incredibly interested in them and can't ignore them. That's probably why my manga often features internet-related elements. Plus, the internet can turn human relationships into a messy, tangled mess, but conversely, it can also create miraculous connections. Both sides are part of the internet's nature, and they're elements that make stories interesting.

Recently, I know a rock band who ran out of money when self-releasing a CD and turned to crowdfunding. But their performance style involves being deliberately brusque toward fans. They successfully raised the money, finished the CD, and held a commemorative live show. But maintaining that aloof style toward fans at that point feels contradictory, doesn't it? That kind of absurdity born from the mismatch between online systems and human emotions is genuinely fascinating, and it makes me want to delve deeper into it in my manga.

──Do you think "netizens" are fundamentally different from people in the real world?

Mase: Vaguely, yes. It feels like two sides of the same coin. The same people might freely show faces online that they wouldn't reveal in real life. But then again, isn't it okay not to always show your true feelings or nature? The current messy state of the internet might just be due to too little regulation.

──By the way, among manga artists, some draw by hand while others use digital tools. Which do you prefer?

Mase: Both. I use digital for some parts, but I submit my work on manuscript paper. With digital, there's always the risk of information leaks or data crashes that could wipe everything out—I just don't fully trust it. I always keep myself in a position where I can switch back to hand-drawn anytime.

Also, drawing on paper is overwhelmingly more enjoyable than drawing on a computer screen. In Photoshop's toolbar, you have to return a tool to its original slot before using another one. While it seems convenient, when you're really focused, that constant returning is a hassle and disrupts the rhythm of drawing. With hand-drawn work, I know exactly where I tossed my pen last, so even if my desk is a mess, the workflow stays efficient. Plus, there's this overwhelmingly satisfying feeling of using my hands—my scattered pens and rulers actually help create my rhythm. People tell me it'd be faster to draw everything on the computer, but if that process becomes painful, I'd rather take it a bit slower and enjoy it.

──Recently, there are manga created by modeling in 3D. What do you think of that approach?

Mase: If it hits the mark, it could become the mainstream new approach, so maybe it's a case of whoever does it first wins. But personally, I'm more drawn to films using special effects than those relying on cutting-edge CG. Digital creations lack that tension and resolve that comes from knowing you can redo it endlessly, and that dampens my spirits.

──Is there potential for new forms of expression and creativity to emerge through digital media and the internet?

Mase: I think it's possible, but it probably depends on the user's talent. But in a world already overflowing with new things, is "new expression" even necessary? Who exactly is demanding it? Or perhaps the very concept of "new expression" itself is outdated.

──How do you think digital and the internet will change the world going forward?

Mase: I think there's still room for growth. In the final episode of "Democracy," we touched on artificial intelligence a bit. With AI and big data, the world will likely become even more efficient and convenient. That feels like it could be a good thing, but also not so good.

Personally, I sometimes think we don't really need to become any more convenient than we already are. The convenience being pursued now often feels like just another business opportunity, rather than something that genuinely solves people's problems and makes their lives significantly easier. Of course, if something new comes along that makes someone happy, that's certainly a good thing.