"Connecting people" through "connecting technology" brings happiness to both companies and society.

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—staying connected while physically apart—through conversations between magazine editors and Dentsu Inc. creators.
For the sixth installment, we spoke with Hiromi Mitani, Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei Trendy.

<Table of Contents>
▼ [Remote Connection Life Story #06: New Forms of Celebration]
▼ "Telework" to Continue, "Time at Home" Temporary
▼ Growing Thirst for "Experience Consumption"
▼ The Future of 5G and VR
▼ What Remote Work Really Needs Is "Meddling"
▼ The "Overview Capability" Connecting Company-Wide Information
▼ Magazines are returning to their roots as "communities"

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【Remote Life Story #06: New Forms of Celebration】

(Case of Ayako Katsumi / Manufacturer Employee / Age 33)

Over the past few years, consumer consciousness has shifted dramatically, creating a major trend from "product consumption" to "experience consumption." However, due to the impact of COVID-19, all "experience consumption"—events like live shows and theater, travel, etc.—has come to a halt. When asked if all entertainment will now shift online, Editor-in-Chief Mitani states emphatically, "That won't happen." "From here on, real-world connections will become increasingly precious, and the thirst for them will only grow stronger."

Based on Editor-in-Chief Mitani's insights, what changes will "experience consumption" undergo in our "remote-controlled lives"? How will new technologies like 5G and VR (Virtual Reality) be utilized? We've compiled these thoughts into a brief story.

Tomohiro Nozawa (Dentsu Inc. 1CRP Bureau)

Illustration: Taro Uryu

"We've decided to have the wedding on the island," her sister Kayo told her over Zoom. Ayako simply replied, "Oh, okay," without batting an eye. Her sister, who was very close to their grandmother, had long expressed a desire to show her grandmother her wedding dress, so it wasn't entirely surprising. Their grandmother had been mostly bedridden since breaking a bone about five years ago, making it quite difficult for her to leave the island for the wedding. Ayako herself hadn't been to the island since just before the COVID-19 chaos during New Year's, meaning she hadn't seen her grandmother in nearly two years.

"So, how many people are you planning to invite?" "How many people? What do you mean?" "Relatives and friends—how many people are we talking about?" "Hmm, maybe around 300..." "300? Where on that island is there a wedding venue big enough for that many people?" Ayako blurted out loudly. "There's no way!" Maki said, her eyes wide. "Only us and our parents are going to the island."

According to Kayo, the Tokyo-based family, relatives, friends, and coworkers—including Ayako—would connect online from the Tokyo reception venue. They'd also connect with people in Osaka, England, Rome, New York, and Los Angeles. "When you think about it, it's actually way cheaper than paying for everyone to travel to Tokyo, plus having a small wedding on the island too." Ayako had heard on the news that remote weddings, or "Remo-kon," were increasing—connecting wedding venues and restaurants scattered nationwide online.

"So, how many people from your company are coming?" "Hmm, let me see..." Kayo thought for a moment before replying. "Probably everyone." "Everyone!?" Ayako exclaimed again, this time louder, at her sister who remained completely unfazed. "How many people are in your company anyway?"

Kayoko's company, while not huge with around 100 employees, produces many hit web videos. Management transparency is strictly enforced, with nearly all business communications publicly shared on chat tools. Even the president's conversations are all made public – astonishing. Kayoko's role was apparently dubbed the "meddler" internally. She'd catch information from these public conversations and connect employees, like saying, "It seems Mr. XX needs copyright info for his project, so could you share what you know, Ms. △△?" She was popular with staff, not just for helping those in obvious trouble, but also for anticipating and addressing problems before they surfaced.

"Isn't that the perfect job for you?" Ayako gazed at Kayo with an envious look as she talked about her company with such obvious enjoyment. "Honestly, I think so too. Since everyone at the company is connected on Facebook, if I think 'Oh, these two would be fun friends,' I'll connect them. Surprisingly, they often hit it off and start hanging out privately too." "So you're like a matchmaking granny?" "Exactly!" Kayo said, laughing with her mouth wide open. "I've actually been called that. I tell them to at least call me Cupid."

At Ayako's company too, since remote work became the norm, interactions between employees had dwindled. If someone could connect employees who seemed like they'd get along or set up drinking parties, it would probably be nice. Several employees who could potentially be "meddlers" popped into Ayako's head. "So, have you decided where to go for your honeymoon?" "Yeah, we're going to Rome. My grandma said she wanted to go." "Huh? You're taking your grandma too?" "Yeah, that's right," Kayo said, pulling out a tiny robot that fit in the palm of her hand. "Ta-da! This is Grandma No. 2." "Oh, it's a robot."

Kayo's soon-to-be husband travels overseas frequently for work, and apparently he always takes this "substitute robot" with him when he goes abroad. Even during their honeymoon, they'll be accompanied by the "substitute robot," so Grandma can enjoy sightseeing in Rome. "When you see it through the VR headset, it gives you a stronger 'I'm really there' feeling than you'd expect." Amidst the pandemic making overseas travel difficult, "stand-in travel agencies" – where seniors entrust a robot avatar to experience travel for them – are quietly gaining popularity among seniors. Ayako could vividly picture her grandmother wearing the VR headset and getting excited. Ayako herself had never been to Rome, and she suddenly wanted to experience Rome with her three-year-old son.

"Totally fine! I'll have it with me the whole trip, and everyone at the company seems excited too." "Well, that's not a honeymoon anymore, it's a company trip." They held their wedding on a small island, connecting it to reception venues in Tokyo and around the world. Going on a honeymoon with a robot, enjoying it with grandma via VR. Technologically, it was all stuff that existed before COVID, but without COVID, her sister probably wouldn't have thought to do something like this.

"Where did you go on your honeymoon, sis?" "We didn't go anywhere because Kouta was already in my belly." "Well then," Kayo leaned closer to the screen, "how about we all go to Rome together? I think Kouta would be happier seeing it in person." "There it is, your signature meddling," Ayako replied with a laugh, picturing her son frolicking through the streets of Rome.

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

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"Telework" to continue, "home time" is temporary

Please take a look at the interview with Hiromi Mitani, Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei Trendy, which served as inspiration for the above "Remote Control Life Story."

Nikkei Trendy Editor-in-Chief Mitani, who kindly participated in our remote interview (bottom row: members of Dentsu Inc.'s "Remote Control Life" team)

The "Telework Special" was released right during Golden Week. We published it with the mindset, "Sales figures don't matter—let's just connect as many people as possible." And what do you know! Despite bookstores being closed, it sold more than budgeted and was extremely well-received. In contrast, the next special issue we released, "Best Buys for Room Design," didn't quite resonate. Both were shaped around "what everyone is concerned about right now," yet the results showed a significant gap.

Of course, magazine sales depend on the quality of the content, so it's hard to generalize. While I think telework will profoundly change society, I see concepts like "home time" or "nesting" as more temporary. No matter how popular "Zoom drinking" gets, the fact remains that drinking with friends at an izakaya is more fun. Probably no one ever thought, "Yeah, Zoom drinking with you is fine for the rest of my life!" (laughs). But with telework, I think people genuinely felt, "Oh, this actually works! We can keep doing this forever!" or "This setup solves all our previous problems!"

But this "telework" trend existed before COVID. Things already in motion accelerated rapidly, while measures implemented as temporary pandemic countermeasures will likely revert back.

The Growing Thirst for "Experience Consumption"

Right now, "experience consumption" feels like it's had its wings clipped. We can't go to live shows, and all events have been canceled. I don't think we'll just settle for buying artist merchandise or have everything replaced by online alternatives going forward. Instead, I believe real-life events and encounters will become even more precious and actually accelerate.

Even if the entertainment industry—live shows, events, etc.—seems devastated now, demand will undoubtedly return. We must protect it from decline while hoping it will flourish in new ways once COVID subsides.

The Future of 5G and VR

For example, with VR (Virtual Reality), I think it will spread if used to achieve things previously impossible, like "letting parents in the countryside experience being together through VR" or "making someone with mobility issues feel like they're in Hawaii." On the other hand, I think we need to be cautious about replacing things we could already do with VR. Trying to VR-ify a festival where young people gather would likely lead to a sense of "This just feels off..." and discomfort. It might even be met with outright rejection. I see the evolution of 5G and VR services happening in the direction of creating entirely new value.

We've seen people holding remote weddings, right? I don't think the ceremony itself will be replaced online. Instead, I foresee new services emerging that "connect online" distant relatives or host families abroad who would have been left out before. The key then is adopting a balanced "hybrid" approach that incorporates both "real" and "virtual" elements. Rather than replacing pre-COVID activities with "virtual" alternatives, I believe the direction is moving beyond COVID itself, toward realizing things that were physically impossible before.

What remote work needs is "meddling"

"If you want to meet someone, you find a way to meet them." "If you don't need to meet someone, you avoid meeting them as much as possible." As the distinction between online and offline use evolves, the trend of "moving more and more meetings online" is definitely here to stay. It makes it easy to increase meeting frequency and share information. On the other hand, when everyone gathers at the office, you get that tangible sense of exchanging a huge amount of information just by being there. So, I don't think that will disappear either. Also, I want to replicate those natural offline interactions, like casually introducing people present. We need to clearly communicate the reason "you should meet this person" and translate it into concrete action like "when to meet." What used to be seen as "nosy" – the kind of meddling people might say "you don't need to get involved that much" about – is actually really helpful now (laughs).

The "overview capability" that connects company-wide information

We manage information on Teams now, but ideally, all communications—whether from upper management or other teams—should be publicly visible on Teams, accessible to everyone. If everything is flat and transparent, you can see things like, "Oh, Team B was already working on this. Then Team A didn't need to do it. We can eliminate waste." It might become a new way to use Teams, allowing people to be helpful and say, "I saw you're having trouble with this. Our team has a solution for it – why not give it a try?" It wouldn't be surprising if a position like "company-wide helper with an overview" emerged.

Magazines are returning to their roots as "communities"

We also want to use magazines themselves in a "hybrid" way, leveraging both online and offline channels. We haven't really built a community for people who like Nikkei Trendy, but I feel like readers of Nikkei Trendy probably have a natural affinity and could easily become friends (laughs). Having similar interests naturally creates opportunities to form a "community," right?

Back in the 80s and 90s, magazines held immense power and were called "mass media." Going forward, I think we need to return to smaller, more intimate spaces – effectively building communities to survive. We want to do both: disseminate information through the magazine medium while also providing offline "places where people who love Nikkei Trendy can gather and chat."

[From the Remote Control Life Team]

From Editor-in-Chief Mitani's remarks,
Here are the keywords for enjoying Remote Control Life more fully.

◉ Remote Marriage
◉Proxy Travel
◉ Proxy Travel Agency
◉ Meddling Business
◉Company Conversations in Public Chat
◉Online Matchmaking

How will the novel coronavirus change our lifestyles? We aim to predict the future by focusing on the subtle shifts in daily life and the subtle changes in people's hearts that blend into their routines, and to create new value. This series explores that potential through the lens of "Remote Control Life."