Usage of Facebook between Japan and the US

Saki HatadaMio OhniwaRisa Ando

Social Media SeminarProfessor: Adam Acar

About

Asked OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS to•25 Gaidai students•28American students

About• How using Facebook in daily life• 25 questions

1. Privacy concerns

Japanese •address•where you are•pictures of themselves• register in real name• tagged in picture without noticing•phone numbers• job hunting•don’t know who’s looking at the profile page

1. Privacy concerns

Americans •don’t know who’s looking at profile• if policeman looks•where you are•employers accessing to profile•keeps records of website visited•application tells where you are•company is selling personal data• friends don’t might share personal information

1. Privacy concerns

• Japanese: all people had some concerns

•American: 8 people answered no 　 ⇒ have control over privacy

Americans knows better at controlling privacy?

2. Security concerns

Japan•can be predicted because of real name•address and school•application is kind of like spam•Google search• tagged on picture which you didn’t want to show• friend request sent from people who don’t know•8 /20 →no

2. Security concerns

USA•phone number•email address• someone could pretend you •easy to gain private information•house being robbed•19 /27→no

 

3. Using Facebook to study

JapaneseGood→13 /25•can question and answer a lot so it’s effective•good to collect many people’s idea•can make secret groups and share information easily•get contact easily•Facebook is familiar for us

3. Using Facebook to study

JapaneseBad→12 /25• force to use Facebook for the lesson is not good• mailing list is enough• for people using cellular phone is inconvenient• all the people maybe can’t access to Facebook • who doesn’t have account for Facebook are forced to

participate• just doing regular class is fine• don’t use that much in daily life and troublesome

3. Using Facebook to study

American Good→15 /28• convenient to organize • central part of social world• collect public insight• very helpful when coordinate study groups• easy to form groups• efficient for communication• interactive than mail chains• almost everyone uses Facebook• they know how to use it and be comfortable

3. Using Facebook to study

AmericanBad→13 /28• not effective• keep social life separate• not as a learning tool• ask directly to teachers is better• teachers can’t keep students to focus• everyone doesn’t have Facebook• easily distracted• less formal• don’t know how effective

4. Professors who require their students to participate in class discussions on Facebook

Japanese Good→5 /22Bad→10/22• can’t use internet at home• doesn’t have a computer• not good to force people to use Facebook• it’s interesting but don’t know why using Facebook Don’t know→7 /22

4. Professors who require their students to participate in class discussions on Facebook

Good Bad

• convenient• easier to give homework• 7 /28

• dislike• shouldn’t be required• feel forced• strange• illogical and distracted• troublesome• force to have Facebook account• should have separate website• don’t have access to internet• have to check every students

attending• 21 /28

USA

5. Be friends with professorsJapaneseGood →17 /25• you can share ideas and knowledge • Can have contact even there’s no lectures• if professor accept it• you can motivate

But• your privacy will be known• you should care what you’ll upload• there’s pictures you don’t want to show to professors• what you can upload will be limited

5. Be friends with professorAmerican Good→7 /27• if professor is ok• helps create closer relationships within the classroom• can stay in contact and became closer to professors• helps communicating• facilitate learning and improve student performance

Bad→16/27• having group page is better• not appropriate• strange• after graduation:11

up to students and professors→4/27

6. How often updating statusJapanese Americans

• no:9/23• sometimes:6• only photos:4• yes :1• once a week:1• once a month:1• use twitter:1

• no:13/28• yes:8• once every week:7

7. What kind of status

Japanese• what you thought and felt:5• club activities:4• big events:3• bought this item• good movies on you tube• about self and friends• share links• interested

7. What kind of status

American• something interesting:14• self:11 •big news:5•event:2 •my friends:2 •activity:2• family:1 •weather:1

8. How often and what kind of picture do you update

Japanese• no:9/25• sometimes :7• yes:6• about 2 times in a month:1

What kind• scene:3• club:3• trip:3• food:2• yourself and friends:2• event :2• interesting:1• daily life:1

8. How often and what kind of picture do you update

American• no: 13/27• yes:10/27• only after trip: 4/27

What kind• self and friend:8• vacation:7• travel:6• activity:5• interesting and funny:3• food:2• event :2• family:1

9. How do you think about people uploading often

JapaneseGood or not bad→22/24• skip the people who don’t know but will look at friends• pictures are fine but all in writing is not interesting• can use Facebook • can know about people’s status• fun to watch other people Bad→2/24• think about tagging picture• should know you are uploading with your responsibility

9. How do you think about people uploading often

American• annoying:5•depends on the post:4•don’t feel anything:3•want attention:2•don’t know:2•has right to post•overusing• self-centered •great ways to share photos

10. When use FacebookJapanese Americans

• before sleep:8/23• after coming back from school:4• while going to school:4• at night:3• when having time:2• got new message from

Facebook:1

• before bed:10/27• all the time:6• after work:3• after classes:2• lunch break:2• during the day:2• when wake up:2

11. What kind of messages and photos do you usually “like”?

Americans Funny one (16/28) The one they agree

with Cute one Something related with

their hobbies

Japanese Photos or messages

related to them Pictures of beautiful

scenery Story of friends having

a good time

12. Do you think others “like” your updates because of Reciprocity?

American Yes (5/26)

“I think some people do because they don't want to seem like they're not paying attention to what their friends are posting.”

No(21/26)

Japanese Yes(8/22) No (14/22)

*Most of them answered no, but they said they feel that way sometimes.

NO!

13. Do you respond to each comment?

American Yes (2/28)

“I usually do because it's courteous and helps facilitate interactions with my friends.”

No (26/28)“No. If what I'm saying isn't genuine and sincere then I don't say it. I don't comment just for the sake of commenting.”

Japanese Yes (26/26) No (0)

*Most Japanese feel not responding to comment is impolite.

14. What is your profile picture like?

Americans Themselves (27/28)

with family, friends, or lover.

Illustration (1/28)

Japanese Themselves (22/25) Illustration (3/25)

15. Do you think profile pictures reflect one's personality?

American Yes (18/26)

“They reflect how someone wants to be perceived by others.”“Yes, the type of picture shows what the person truly thinks of them self.”

No(1/26) Sometimes (7/28)

Japanese Yes (24/26) No (2)

16. What do you think about a person who doesn't show his/her face in the profile picture?

American Most of American's

answers are negative. Some of them think

people have privacy concerns.

*hiding something, not confident, annoying, creepy, wired... etc

Japanese Most of them think it's

okay and they understand about security concerns. (21/25)

17. Have you untag photos of yourself?

American Yes (25/28)

“If there is alcohol, if it's not actually a picture of me, or if it is too unprofessional-looking. I'm studying journalism and employers will definitely be looking at my social media websites.”

No(3/28)

Japanese Yes (10/25) No (15/25)

20. Being Friends with Parents

Japanese

No

19/25

Foreigners

Yes

23/28

20. Being Friends with Parents

Japanese － Why not?•Parents do not have accounts

•Feel that they are watched•Privacy•Parents will worry•Embarrassing

20. Being Friends with Parents

Foreigners – Why?•Nothing to hide•Communication tool

•Actually regret•Limit parents’ access•×post what do not want parents to know

21. Miscommunication on FB

Japanese

No

100%

Foreigners

Yes

23/28

21. Miscommunication on FB

•Hard to tell the tone of post•Sarcasm

•“Communicating with someone through text is sadly inferior to speaking in person

because you lose body language, tone, inflection, and facial expressions”.

21. Miscommunication on FB

•Misinterpreting

•“Sometimes, there are occasions when I misinterpret what somebody’s trying to say in a post because the sentences can be read in multiple ways”.

22. What Hesitate to Post

Messages •Mental abuse•Negative message•Super personal message•Complaints•Offensive message

Photos•Embarrass or humiliate

friends•Underage drinking

22. What Hesitate to Post

Japanese

•boast

Foreigners•Drinking alcohol (Affect job interviews)

•Political•Religious (Friends don’t all share

their beliefs)

23. Presenting themselves better

Q. “Do you have friends who want to present themselves better or cooler than they are?

Do you think this kind of people are the majority”?

23. Presenting themselves better

A. Yes. It’s Normal.•Everyone wants to present themselves in a positive

light

•Most people present who they want to be, not who they really are

•“No” ― 0nly 7 Japanese and 3 foreigners

24. P.C. or Smart Phone

Smart Phone P.C.

• Whenever they are out and have time to log on

• Take picture and upload quickly

×Take too long time×Small

• Much faster

• Easy to type with the keyboard

• Better for seeing picture because it’s bigger

• Can change the settings that we cannot on smart phones

A. Smart phone, but prefer P.C.

25. Facebook and Other SNSs

Q. Connect Facebook and Other SNSs?

JapaneseNo 100%

• Each SNS has different purpose.

25. Facebook and Other SNSs

Facebook Twitter

• More broad friends (co-workers, friend’s friend,

old friends, not very close friends, friends

in hometown)

• Using as an album• To contact with friends

• Only close friends

• Post many times, • Post too often for Facebook• Post even uninteresting things

Japanese

25.Facebook and Other SNSs

ForeignersFacebook•To intaract with friends

•“I use Twitter to Tweet, and to talk about food. And I use Facebook to talk and keep up with friends. I don’t feel the need to update everything in every SNSs”.

25.Facebook and Other SNSs

ForeignersOnly Facebook – 8

Twitter – 10•To post more about things they are doing•To post how they are feeling

•To follow famous people

25.Facebook and other SNSs

•Thumblr

•Pinterest

•Foursquare to post location

• Instagran to post more pictures than on Facebook