October 8, 2004
Keitai Log: The personal safety net
With the penetration of keitai, it becomes more difficult (for parents) to grasp their children's relationships and friendships." "High dependence on Keitai causes a thinner line of communication between parents and kids, leaving their relationship superficial." We often hear these kinds of opinions in such mass media as TV and newspapers, reports Kunikazu Azuma in the latest entry on Keitai Log.
It is certain that with the advent of keitai, the way parents and their children communicate has been changing. However, the change cannot be merely summarized in a negative way, with words such as "collapse" or "superficial."
Keitai have highly strategic value for relationships within families, and indeed, many families have used keitai for maintaining, constructing, and developing their relationships. Based on field work I have been doing on keitai usage among families in the past few months, I came to think of keitai in this more positive way.
[...] Children who utilize keitai as a "safety net" said that they trust and respect their parents in one way or another, without exception. They have used keitai strategically as a tool for maintaining and enhancing trustworthy relationships, based on what they had already established.
So, keitai can be something that could damage relationships in one family or enhance relationships in another. It all depends on the users. Perhaps we need to learn more about how to use keitai strategically in various human relationships."
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