The first time I touched an iPod touch was about six years ago. I remember vividly how deeply moved I was when I connected it to my home Wi-Fi and accessed the internet via the Safari browser, thinking, "Ah, a new era has arrived!" Soon after, the iPhone 3G was released. It marked the era when the "device" used by protagonist Jack Bauer in the then-popular drama "24" (which I was hooked on and watched repeatedly) became accessible to anyone.
I'm Magori from Dentsu Digital Inc.'s Business Bureau. I'm sorry for the late introduction. After joining the company, I spent about six years in the Media Services / Newspaper Division handling the Nikkei newspaper. I requested to be assigned to the Media Services / Newspaper Division. Then came the shift from vertical to horizontal writing. I entered the digital world, a world rotated 90 degrees. I never dreamed I'd end up handling digital at Dentsu Inc., but looking back, I might have been a digital kid. In elementary school, I used a NEC PC-9800 I got from a neighbor to write games in BASIC and create automatic playback programs using its FM sound source. Even as a middle schooler, I managed my schedule and phone numbers with an electronic organizer, and I jumped right on pocket pagers and PHS phones. In high school and university, I composed and performed using a dedicated computer called a sequencer and a synthesizer. I belonged to the swimming club in the athletic association, and through that connection, I was given the opportunity to compose the entrance music for the finals of the Japan Swimming Championships, the nation's largest swimming competition that determines the Japanese national team.
While I ended up working in the world of computers and the internet that had always been close at hand, I struggled immensely to explain its depth and significance clearly to many people. While pursuing technology, emerging media, platforms, and efficiency is certainly important, I came to realize that the essence of the internet is that it "has enabled us to discover more value and more perspectives."
For several years now, I've been responsible for the partnership between Facebook and Dentsu Inc. I've visited Facebook headquarters multiple times and witnessed firsthand the speed and sheer power of a platform developed by the world's top programmers, who push each other to excel in an office environment reminiscent of a university campus. One programmer's words in particular stuck with me.
During a banquet, we casually asked him, "Why did you become a Facebook programmer?" His answer was powerful. "Imagine tensions rising to the point of war with another country. But if you were connected to friends in that country through Facebook, wouldn't you think twice about launching missiles at them? I believed Facebook could bring peace to the world." The shock I felt hearing this was comparable to accessing the internet for the first time on an iPod Touch or creating pivotal programs and compositions in my life.
The internet and digital world are complex and profound, but I feel that considering them through the lens of values and perspectives reveals so much more. I don't know how many times I'll write about it, but I want to start writing columns exploring digital and the internet. Thank you for your support.
The New Value Brought by the Internet [1]
