Freedom to work, Freedom not to work
Freedom to connect with others, Freedom not to connect with others
Now that there are restrictions on the real places of exchange such as schools and companies, online communication has become the mainstream style of dialogues. Various communication tools have appeared and competed with each other, and communication with people you have had no relation to is becoming more active. The cyber-native generation, who are quick to use new tools, gain the approval of those around them and raise one question after another about old customs were created based on old ways of thinking.
Since schools and companies are obliged to allow their students and their employees to participate online, elderly people and those who have physical or mental restrictions in going out or in living in a group are able to have a place to learn or work, including a method through avatars. It is required to build an environment in which no one feels inconvenience, and equity of online communication is established. Along with that, people are released from the traditional “standard way of working” of commuting to work, and begin to search for their own way of working. While the environment in which everyone can work comfortably is being built, some people consider those who choose “not to work” as “lazy” even in such an environment, other people consider that the decision to work or not to work is left to each individual. This causes friction between the two groups.
Since diverse people can participate in society, the “cyber meeting” becomes a commonplace. Therefore, the positions of the “representatives” and “supporters” become closer. The word “cyber” becomes a symbolic word for breaking down the barrier that has divided society into the elderly people and young people, disabled people and non-disabled people, and students going to school and school refusers. Since each of us raises our voices and reach out directly to people in a difficult situation on a “one-to-one” basis, we begin to feel the significance of our own statements and behavior. On the other hand, the position of those who settle themselves in a safe place of “many others” without raising their voices is threatened.
The places of the formal event such as weddings and grave visits transfer to the cyber space. However, in cyber space, it is difficult to accompany the movements of the people’s heart such as joy and sadness with its depth, so contents that appeal to the emotions is utilized to complement this disadvantage. Also, the definition of “intimacy” is changed. A wide range of online communication between “individual” and “individual” that has never met directly each other is regarded as rich communication. Focus is put on the ease of communication with other people living in the same time period and having similar lifestyles, and time difference plays a greater role than physical distance in influencing intimacy.
The evolution of online systems has made it possible to have front-line live experiences at home, but on the contrary, it standardizes individual experience. As an alternative to subtle facial expressions and interjections during face-to-face communication, user interface to enrich online communication is developed such as updating stamps, but individual’s expression of emotion by using the tools becomes patterned. On the contrary, the sensing function makes it easier to convey the physical and mental conditions of an individual, such as sweating or breathing roughly from excitement, than face-to-face communication. Regarding how much such personal information is revealed to the other person, the right, good manners, and adjusting method will be formalized.
