The New Power of Minorities Revealed Through Remote Work

Even when physically apart, skillfully using technology can make us feel closer than ever before. A slight shift in perspective can create entirely new connections. The new lifestyle emerging in the wake of COVID-19 could be called "Remote Connection Life" (Remote Connection Life). Remote Connection Life is Remote Communication Life, and it also creates Remote Comfortable Life. This series explores the "future vision" of this lifestyle of staying connected while apart, with magazine editors and Dentsu Inc. creators thinking together.
For the second installment, we spoke with Keiko Katagiri, Editor-in-Chief of "AERA".

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<Table of Contents>
▼ [Remote Connection Life Story #02] The Power to See the Invisible
▼ What Disappears Online Can Be Replaced by Imagination
▼ 2011 was the Year of Volunteering. Will 2020 be the Year of Donations!?
▼ "Majority and Minority" Standing on the Same Starting Line
▼ Motivation is the Driving Force of Education
▼ "Sense of Justice and Entertainment" are absolutely essential in gloomy times

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【Remote Control Life Story #02】The Power to See the Invisible

(Case of Tomoki Nozawa / Financial Company Employee / Age 44)

Remote meetings, remote drinking parties, remote homecomings... Since COVID-19, much of our communication has shifted online. However, AERA Editor-in-Chief Katagiri warns, "There are limits to what we can see online." "When things go online, things we used to notice without thinking become invisible. For example, information like 'Huh? They look pale today' or 'They seem to be limping, what happened?' simply doesn't come through. I think we need to become much more sensitive to this, and as people who share information, we need to constantly be aware of it."

Based on Editor-in-Chief Katagiri's insights, what problems have become invisible due to COVID-19? What challenges have come into view? How will "education" and "employment for people with disabilities" change? We've compiled these thoughts into a brief story.

Tomohiro Nozawa (Dentsu Inc. 1CRP Bureau)

Illustration: Taro Uryu

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"Okay," Tomoki said, nodding emphatically toward his PC screen. "You've done everything up to this point. We'll handle the rest. Great work."

In remote meetings, subtle changes in facial expressions are hard to convey. That's why you have to react as dramatically as possible, or else you risk giving the impression that you're not really listening. On the PC screen, a newly hired female employee flashed a beaming smile and said, "Thank you very much," then clasped her hands together and bowed deeply. She, too, understood the importance of reactions in remote settings. Since everything from the hiring interview to post-hire onboarding had been done remotely, Tomoki, who handled her recruitment, hadn't actually met her yet. So, while he knew she used a wheelchair, he found it hard to picture her.

As remote work becomes more common, what's required of managers is also changing. Things you'd grasp instantly in person remain hidden remotely. The expression on the other person's face on the screen, the tone of their voice, the home environment hidden by their background photo, the time their emails arrive... You have to be even more attentive, sharpening your "imagination" to see beyond the screen.

"Seriously, I'm exhausted..." Tomoki closed his laptop and slumped back on the sofa just as his daughter Hana, now in fourth grade, came home. "Rio-chan's coming over to play today!" Hana announced loudly while washing her hands in the bathroom. "Make sure to put away Papa's bike in the entranceway!" Ever since she started the same class as Rio-chan, Hana's attitude toward studying seemed to have changed. She appeared to have been inspired by listening to Rio-chan passionately talk about her dream of pursuing medicine in the future.

"I'm seriously exhausted..." Hana muttered, pressing her fingers to her temples as she entered the living room. At her public elementary school too, classes had finally resumed in earnest following the declaration that COVID-19 had subsided. However, thanks to the established online learning infrastructure, opportunities to watch "lesson videos" in the classroom had increased. Self-study, such as reviewing weak subjects, was shifting online and evolving into "individualized learning." Teachers seem to be reducing the time spent lecturing in class and increasing the time dedicated to each student. What interests and passions do they have? Where are they struggling? What kind of encouragement should be given to boost their motivation for studying? The role of being a "facilitator" is becoming more important than just "teaching." Thanks to this, it seems my daughter Hana's "medical school fever" is being skillfully maintained by her teacher.

"Huh?" Hana pointed at a box sitting in the living room. "Is this Kamechiyo's dorayaki? Didn't they go out of business?" "They didn't," Tomoki pouted at Hana. "The owner said he was closing the shop, so everyone in the neighborhood pitched in with donations to help keep it going. Can you imagine not being able to eat dorayaki this delicious anymore?"

"Hmm," Hana said, picking up her phone and holding it to her ear. "Okay! I'll come pick you up then." Rio-chan seemed to have arrived at the apartment entrance.
Tomoki picked up a Kamechi dorayaki and took a big bite. "Seriously, this is good..." You could get most things delivered these days, but nothing beat the taste of something fresh off the grill.

"Daddy! I told you to put the bike away!" "Sorry, sorry..." Tomoki went to the entrance to greet them and froze upon seeing his daughter's friend. He'd often heard his daughter mention a classmate named "Rio-chan" and had seen her studying together on Zoom in the living room countless times. Seeing Rio-chan waiting just beyond the entrance door now, he realized just how lacking his imagination had been. "Hello!" Rio-chan, seated in her electric wheelchair, flashed Tomoki a bright smile.

(This story is fictional. It bears no relation to any real persons or organizations.)

What we can't see online, we fill in with "imagination"

Please take a look at the interview with Keiko Katagiri, Editor-in-Chief of "AERA," which inspired the above "Remote Life Story."

The impact of COVID-19 is felt everywhere, but I believe imagination plays a crucial role in minimizing its negative effects. You could even call it "empathy." Exercising imagination to consider others is vital for individuals, teams, and companies alike. Fundamentally, communication via SNS, where you cannot see the other person's face, makes it possible to say things that make you think, "Why would they say something so awful...?" If such situations expand while opportunities for direct, in-person interaction are restricted, it could lead to disastrous consequences. The ability to use imagination and to verify whether imagined things are true will likely become increasingly demanded, especially of those with decision-making authority.

2011 was the year volunteering took off. Could 2020 be the year giving takes off!?

"Making an effort to understand" is crucial for improving information literacy. At the very least, the effort to engage with diverse information while acknowledging one's own ignorance will become increasingly vital. Seeing and hearing about people in places vastly different from where you stand will further cultivate your imagination and enable you to use money more effectively. The concept akin to the Western "noblesse oblige" has struggled to take root in Japan, but now, more people are beginning to move towards realizing it. If the earthquake disaster marked the beginning of volunteering, some argue that COVID-19 could mark the beginning of giving for Japan. I agree. To give, one must feel personally convinced, and in that sense, "learning" and "imagining" become increasingly vital.

The majority and minority stand on the same starting line
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In an interview for the May 18th special edition of AERA, Hirotada Ototake stated, "Things that we had been saying 'we're truly struggling' about, things we had been raising our voices about, saw absolutely no improvement. But the moment no one could go out, they improved all at once." For example, when a bedridden child wanted to attend university, the idea of holding online classes just for that one child was met with complete deafness. Yet, the moment a state of emergency was declared and many people suddenly couldn't attend university, online classes were implemented immediately. He felt this was profoundly absurd.

I myself didn't notice this absurdity until Mr. Ototake pointed it out. The fact that people who previously faced high barriers are now able to stand on the same ground is information I believe society as a whole needs to know. You could even say that the situation where both minorities and non-minorities found themselves equally unable to do something finally put them on the same starting line. Standing on that same starting line should also make it easier for society as a whole to utilize the abilities that minorities possess. I strongly hope this situation persists even after the pandemic subsides.

The driving force of education is "motivation."
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I have a fifth-grade daughter. During the stay-at-home period, we spent a lot of time together at the same table. Watching her struggle intensely with her cram school homework right in front of me, I felt she was just being made to do it. As a parent, I deeply reflected on my failure to give her the motivation to study. Looking back on my own career, I've only truly mastered things I genuinely wanted to do from the bottom of my heart. I now realize anew that motivation is the source of everything.

That's precisely why I believe the core of future education lies in "motivation." When you truly grasp "why you're studying," it becomes a source of power. There's a difference in depth of understanding between doing something because someone told you to, just intellectually grasping it, and doing it with the mindset of "If I do this, I'll definitely become that." This isn't just about children. As an editor-in-chief, I also see supporting the motivation of reporters and desk staff as a key challenge.

A Sense of Justice and Entertainment: Absolutely Essential in These Gloomy Times

As editor-in-chief of AERA, my duty now is simply to diligently gather information and report it. However, I personally detest anything that tears others down, and I refuse to sensationalize with inflammatory language. To deliver sound information and wholesome entertainment in these gloomy times, AERA aims to properly balance both "a sense of justice and entertainment." I want to help those in trouble, give a push to those feeling down, and cheer on young people striving to do their best. A magazine that delivers essential business information and news alongside solid entertainment, boosting motivation for work. That is the AERA I aim to create.

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[From the Remote Control Life Team Members]

The keyword emerging from the "consideration" highlighted as crucial in remote-controlled life during this interview is as follows:

◉ Barrier-free hiring standards
◉ Employment of people with disabilities
◉ Motivation education
◉ From Teacher to Facilitator
◉ Individualized learning in public education
◉ New Forms of Donation (Supportive Consumption/Advance Drinking)
◉ Micro-donations/Local donations/Community donations

How will the novel coronavirus change our lifestyles? We aim to predict the future by focusing on subtle shifts in daily life and subtle changes in people's hearts, identifying familiar "new norms," and creating new value. This series explores these possibilities through the lens of "Remote Control Life."