How can we connect with others in our own way? Daniel Takeda and others consider how to deal with social media

The theme this time is "How to convey your thoughts on social media." I've gathered two people who I regularly see and who are active in various media, but whose social media presence is fascinating. What are your impressions of social media these days?

I mainly use X, but it's become a bit of a dystopia lately (laughs). It's full of fake news and posts just to get impressions.

If you watch it for too long, it can get hard.

In the past, I often posted stories about my family and other interesting things, but now my main purpose is to communicate with the listeners of the radio show I'm in charge of. I post to my own followers, rather than to an unspecified number of people.

X has become so popular that if you don't regularly "like" posts that interest you to train the algorithm, announcements for your favorite artists and posts from your friends will get buried. If you want to reach the people you want to reach, I think it's a good idea to consciously form a closed community like Takano.

When I'm on TV and in other mass media, I'm conscious of "whose voice I should be representing," but when I'm on social media, I put myself in the center of the conversation. Recently, when shocking current events occur, I feel like reacting to them instantaneously is consuming the pain of the people involved. Of course, there are times when expressing an opinion quickly is important, but personally I want to value "thought over communication" and "dialogue over buzz."

I also think that there's no longer any point in posting spontaneously. The COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened the connection between the real world and the internet, and what you post on social media can be seen as your entire thoughts. But as time has passed, people have grown tired of that overly intrusive atmosphere, and the trend has shifted to the idea that you don't need to express everything.

Personally, I've recently started using X like the early tweets on Twitter. Things like, "I got new shoes" or "I was going to do the laundry today but I'm going to cancel." It's not a post expressing an opinion, but rather a "heartwarming" or "peaceful" theme (laughs).

Peace is so important! Some people are more confident in their writing, while others are better at talking in real life. Also, some people want to share their daily lives, while others don't like revealing their private lives. I think there's a style that suits each of us, so there's no need to rush to share.

As long as it doesn't cause excessive hurt to others, I think it's fine for each person to express how they feel in their daily lives. Do you rarely post about your private life, Tsuji-san?

In my case, I'm not particularly motivated to share my own life or experiences. Rather than self-promotion, I want to verbalize and share the questions that many people have in their daily lives through me.

In 2016, a blog post titled "Japan, die, I couldn't get into daycare!!!" went viral. That post drew attention to the issue of children on waiting lists for daycare, and it was eventually taken up in the Diet. Everyone's voices, which existed as dots, connected as lines and became a social phenomenon. I think the ability to spark such movements is also a positive aspect of social media.

Overall, it's time for each person to reconsider what they want to do on social media. In an age where anyone can become an influencer, many people are driven by an obsession that "if you don't post, you're missing out."

Even with corporate accounts, the goal is to operate them, and most people just take the stance of "it's fine as long as we have it up." I think that by being mindful of why you're posting and who you want to reach, you can finally get your message across to the people you want to reach, even in a world overflowing with information.

This is something I do myself, but if you are an individual or a company that has a clear message you want to convey, I think it's a good idea to consider three things: your position, the demographic you want to reach, and the possibility of a negative reaction to the post.

If you understand the significance of posting on a certain topic and your role, you should be able to tolerate some degree of negative reactions. There is no opinion that everyone will agree with. On the other hand, if you express your opinion without really thinking about it, you will lose confidence in your post if you receive critical comments.

Social media in Japan has become like a court of right and wrong (laughs), so it's important to have that kind of awareness so you don't get crushed easily. In America, many people think it's cool to say things differently from others, so opinions from different perspectives tend to be presented and new discussions develop.

It's dangerous to say, "This is absolutely correct," and it's also not good to praise someone's post by saying, "You've spoken for us!" I usually post with the thought, "I haven't fully put into words the anxiety and anger that you feel, so I want you to think about it for yourself!"

There are few topics that consist of good triumphing over evil, and each position has its own justification. If you want to communicate something on social media, rather than judging what is right or wrong, you should think about where you stand among the many different opinions before posting. I hope everyone can post within the limits of what they can do, without trying to shoulder the entire burden alone!

One artist who I thought had a clear purpose for communicating was Doechii, a rapper who is attracting attention as an important figure in the next generation of hip-hop. Artists who suddenly appear on the scene tend to be dismissed as out-of-nowhere, with their past history and background ignored, but Doechii's agency and the artist himself post content that conveys a consistent story. I think they've created a solid channel for communicating on social media so that their message reaches their fans.

Recently, I was really impressed with the way she communicates on social media, by a "room influencer" called Hatsune. I like how her posts seem free-spirited and effortless. She even has videos of her simply washing dishes. I get the impression that what she wants to do, what she likes, and what suits her all line up together.

I often check out the X account of solo comedian Kugatsu. He answers people's concerns, and even when the opinions are difficult to understand, he doesn't sympathize with them, but he doesn't push them away either. It's nice to read how he maintains a distance from the people he speaks to.

This can be said of the people you both introduced, but the key from now on may be to value your own inherent individuality and communicate it without trying to pretend to be someone you're not.

For people who use social media not just for the sake of using it, but as a means to communicate their thoughts, their messages are sure to reach people.