Information and Communications in Japan: White Paper 2011

After 'e-japan' and 'u-japan' Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has proposed a new label for the kind of network society it wants to realise in Japan - "symbiotic networked society".

The latest White Paper is here.

Chapter 3: Prospects for a symbiotic networked society

"If, based on the social media analyses described above

and based on the future direction of network environ-

ments and ICT usage, we were to sketch a vision of the

ICT society that will emerge as social media use pro-

gresses and as it becomes part of people’s everyday

lives, we could characterize this society as an advanced

ubiquitous networked society in which people, acting as

the primary agents, support each other, which is inclu-

sive of citizens from all walks of life, and in which ICT

creates value by mediating interpersonal collaborations

and resolving problems. Taking this a step farther, we

could call such an ICT society with these characteristics

a “symbiotic networked society. ” Although the symbiotic

networked society is characterized by the positive fac-

tors given above, we have discovered challenges that

need to be dealt with from our social media analyses.

For example, it is clear that many current social media

users are concerned about personal information theft,

illegal use of personal information, privacy, and other

personal information matters. Also evident is that some

non-users are eschewing social media because of fears

of personal information abuses and privacy worries. An-

other concern with the growth of social media is that,

although N-to-N information delivery will become com-

monplace and individuals will be able publish informa-

tion and collaborate over the Internet, it will be impossi-

ble in the fl ood of information to sort out credible or

appropriate information. And as social media is used

more and proliferates throughout society, it is very prob-

able problems, including unforeseen problems, will crop

up that will impact our lives and will require correspond-

ing measures. To extract the maximum potential from

social media and to minimize the negative aspects asso-

ciated with its use, we will need current and future de-

bate on points of contention accompanying the use of

social media and we will need both technical measures

and ongoing efforts to fi nd a social consensus on these

challenges."

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan

See it on Scoop.it, via Knowledge Economy

http://www.scoop.it/t/knowledge-economy/p/1958487185/information-and-communications-in-japan-white-paper-2011 Information and Communications in Japan: White Paper 2011