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As discussed in a previous paper (Kumagai, 1999), the adjustment problems of Japanese families living abroad as a result of corporate work abroad are extremely complicated as they extend across national boundaries. Four problems were identified. They are:
Furthermore, we discovered that for each of these problems there are specific issues to be addressed. They are summarized as follows:
2. Children's Education
3. Community Relations
4. Complicated Family Life Issues
1. Family Network with Media
What would be the digital network society model for Japanese families living abroad? The ADC (autonomous, distributive, and cooperative) network society model can alleviate problems surrounding Japanese families living abroad by enhancing their quality of life. So far, this kind of approach has not been applied fully with respect to the issue families living abroad. With the rapid acceptance and availability of the Internet worldwide, the time is now right to do so.
Despite widespread media attention to the so-called super information society not everyone in the community may yet fully appreciate its benefit. On the contrary, there are people who are left behind in this social trend and are deprived of information access. They might be Japanese families abroad, families left behind while the husband is on overseas assignment, or the elderly parents in Japan apart from the overseas assignment of their families.
If that is the case, it may be possible to enhance their quality of life by applying the ADC perspective, and making optimum use of multimedia technologies as well. The prevalence of the Internet has made it easier than ever before to achieve the objective. The construction of this digital network society will be accomplished through the following four segments:
The family network applying the advanced digital network technologies such as stated above is shown in Figure 1. One of the most difficult aspects of constructing the digital community network for Japanese families living abroad would be the dual nature of the families at stake. There is the local community involvement of Japanese families abroad on one hand, and their alienation from their native communities in Japan on the other. If the digital community network is to be successful, overseas Japanese families will have to make active efforts in exchanging communication not only with families living in Japan, but also with local families in foreign lands. For this reason, "local families" are included in the construction of the digital community network model as shown in Figure 1.
Examples of more specific media applications are as follows:
I. Videoconference
II. EOD (Education on Demand)
Furthermore, these students may also give computer literacy sessions to the parents whose children continue to stay abroad to complete school after their parents return to Japan. If the parents acquire basic media literacy skills they can exchange communications with their children abroad through cyberspace quite easily.
2. Inter-space Cyber Society
As a new style of communication let us suggest an active use of an inter-space cyber society, one of the virtual communication techniques. Cyber societies are cyber communications through an inter-space utilizing the Internet as a medium. This concept is being developed by NTT (InterSpace CyberSociety: http://cyberSociety.elsc.intsp.or.jp/) and by Fujitsu (HabitatII: http://gmsnet.or.jp/habitat2/index.html). In an inter-space, many participants can appear simultaneously in a single virtual space as incarnations called avatars. When connected to the inter-space, a town appears right in front of the participant. Participants can move freely throughout the inter-space as if they were dwellers of this virtual space, they can walk through the inter-space, meet others, and use various services in the town.
The inter-space cyber society has made it easy for several participants to communicate simultaneously, using the three-dimensional distances and locations in the virtual space. Although the Inter-Space CyberSociety supports meetings and communication in the virtual town it is still at a trial stage. The quality of the experience (look and feel of the interface) still requires additional testing and development.
Nevertheless, if this tool was used among family members living apart their communication could be greatly improved. As oral (voice) conversations are possible in this environment, the quality of the communication could be quite good. However, interface improvements will be needed so that anyone can use it easily.
The URLs for the inter-space cyber society are:
3. Compiling the Web Sites Anthology on Overseas Japanese Schools
It is usually the case that Japanese families abroad are confronted with difficulties in keeping up with developments in Japanese education, and also find it difficult to obtain useful information on living overseas. The Internet, however, has proved itself as one of the most effective means of communication to assist with this problem. A project to develop a Web site link collection on overseas Japanese schools and related issues has been in progress for some time. (Japan Overseas Educational Services, 1998; Kumagai, Fumie Home Page-Links: http://www.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~n96287fk/).
On the education of Japanese children abroad the following three sites are quite informative. They are:
Furthermore, there are Web sites which provide useful information on overseas living. For example, Wahoo, which means "Japanese-like" in Japanese (and it sounds like Yahoo) has been constructed by Japanese students studying in the United States, and is well accepted by overseas Japanese (Wahoo: http://www.msu.edu/user/okadakat/wahoo/index.htm). (See Figure 4.) Japan Square also provides useful information to Japanese living in the United States (Japan Square: http://www.Japansquare.com/). They compile Web site links to such sites like Japanese newspapers. By making the best use of this information, overseas Japanese can remain abreast of the current situation in Japan.
Shijo Tsushin (http://www.roots-int.com/S-T) is a Web site that facilitates communication among Japanese children abroad and returnees; it is published bimonthly and anyone can contribute one's ideas and opinions. The Web site provides Japanese overseas children and TCK's (the Third Culture Kids) with opportunities to exchange their ideas and opinions freely. These children often experience tremendous difficulties in readjusting to Japanese society upon their return, and they feel at ease in communicating with peers who share similar backgrounds.
In making active use of these Web sites it is possible to obtain valuable information specific to one's own needs. The Internet may be one of the most suitable pedagogical tools for overseas education, as it has a global reach. Nevertheless, authorities of cross-cultural education are still struggling to figure out what would be best way to use this effective pedagogical tool.
Until recently, overseas Japanese schools have stood aloof in the world to convey Japanese education to Japanese children abroad. Therefore, the overseas education so far has been an unilateral one. That is, it has only emphasized the Japanese point of view while ignoring the valuable foreign (local) experiences of these children. Now that children use the Internet, each child can distribute information throughout the world. If this type of education could be more widely used, both the overseas education and the national Japanese educational system itself would make progress in a desirable direction.
URLs on Digital Society Model
1. Online Degree Programs in Higher Education
Some Japanese wives living abroad in the United States complain that they have no activities outside the home. Others express the desire that they would like to further their knowledge through university level education, but they cannot pursue it as they might have to return to Japan any time. These complaints were heard quite frequently during the course of group discussion interviews with Japanese mothers in America. In addition, Japanese businessmen who work as managers at foreign firms say that they would like to acquire advanced professional degrees for their future promotion.
To overcome the above complaints and desires there is now university level education online (At Home in School: http://www.mercurycenter.com/Local/education/docs/online013199.htm). Looking back at the history of correspondence course college education in the United States, we note that in the 1980s the VCR was introduced as one of the pedagogical tools. Then, in the 1990 the rapid progress of the Internet led to online education programs. It certainly indicates that the style of education has been changing in the era of the digital network society.
Online education, in essence, is the correspondence course using the Internet. Therefore, autonomous and active participation of the students is essential for success. Some may wonder if only a small proportion of those who have matriculated would complete the program and obtain degrees. In the case of Athabasca University in Canada, known as one of the most advanced online higher educational institutions, the dropout rate for the undergraduate programs has been only as small as 5 percent. For the MBA degree, at the time the program started in 1994, only 64 students were enrolled. After four years from its initiation, however, the total number of students enrolled in the program increased to as many as 736, and 79 students obtained MBA degrees by that time. This good outcome illustrates the very nature of online education. That is, it enables students to pick the location and the time for studying that meets their own schedule (Growing Trend--Online Education will be the Core of Education in the 21st Century: http://frontline.cmclub.com/99110/html/P38-internet-2.htm).
The majority of online educational programs so far have been undergraduate or junior college level programs. Since the fall of 1998, however, a growing number of graduate level programs have been offered online, and their contents have been quite innovative. Up until then, most of the online courses had used videos and/or handouts. Today, however, like Athabasca University, more and more programs have been organized entirely around an Internet-based curriculum, and it is possible to complete the entire program and obtain the degree via the Internet.
As educational opportunities have become global the student can access the program anywhere in the world, at any time, at one's own convenience, and can select the programs suitable to one's own needs. In fact, students throughout the world have been enrolled in the online higher educational programs in North America, even from the South Pole, and Russian students have enrolled in U.S. MBA programs.
2. Enrollment of the Japanese People in Online Education
It will not be before Japanese people will enroll in online degree programs in higher education in North America. At this point, what English language abilities will be required? Will it be difficult for Japanese, whose command of English is poor in general, to pursue the online education programs offered in North America? There is encouraging data for the Japanese people who wish to pursue such an education. Japanese studying via online degree programs are performing better than those enrolled in the regular on-campus education.
The explanation for this is that the English required for pursuing online education in North America is primarily the ability to express one's ideas, whereas conversational skills are secondary. Therefore, Japanese who lack good conversational English skills are not at such a disadvantage.
In fact, the Athabasca University administration believes that Japanese students will enroll in their programs soon. There is no question that English language skills are essential, but nothing is more important than the determination of the students to pursue the online educational program. For the extended period of two to three years when the student is enrolled in the online program, one must be willing to limit one's activities to concentrating on the online studies. In addition, it is of utmost importance that support from one's family would helpful to achieve completion of the program.
In higher education in North America, the Internet Web sites have been the essential source of information, and they provide students with various information on their educational services. Documents such as the program catalog, admission applications, scholarship/fellowship applications, and course catalog can be obtained via the Internet. Furthermore, a growing number of online educational institutions today accept requests to issue certificates for the graduation and grade reports via the Internet.
In the 21st century, therefore, the majority of these administrative issues will be handled through the Internet. However, it is disappointing that of all the higher educational institutions in the United States only about 5 percent are actually engaging in campus e-commerce on their educational program. The campus e-commerce here does not mean online business transactions such as selling college T-shirts, ordering books, or paying fees and tuition through the Internet. Instead, it is the construction of study on demand programs (via the Web) consisting of course related materials and lecture notes. These study on demand Web sites enable students to access them anytime at their convenience (Colleges Struggle With IT Planning: http://www.campus-computing.net/summaries/1998/index.html).
In the United States where the Internet has been in wide use among the general public, it is puzzling why such a small number of higher educational institutions have been active in their campus e-commerce. To this question, Dr. Andrew Cohill, Director of Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV: http://www.bev.net/), answered most appropriately. That is, "Being a good teacher will not contribute much toward one's tenure and promotion." In fact, it is extremely time consuming to make lecture notes using computer, and to place them on the Internet. Therefore, few instructors are willing to make these efforts.
3. Online Education and Burden to the Instructors
Many instructors who conducted online programs in higher education indicate candidly that it absorbed too many hours in lecture preparation, and that responding to students' queries by email was very time consuming (At Home in School: http://www.mercurycenter.com/local/education/docs.online013199.htm). Education on demand for the students in turn puts a greater burden on instructors because they must prepare for the lectures and respond to questions by email constantly. One instructor, responsible for a six-week course, received nearly 2,700 questions relating to the course via email. It is quite understandable that responding by email to each of these thousands of questions exhausted him mentally.
In American higher educational institutions, it is usually the case that after six or so years as an assistant professorship, one comes up for tenure and promotion to an associate professorship. The basis for the tenure evaluation would be more or less on one's research achievement, rather than teaching performance. Therefore, excellence in teaching does not carry much weight at the time of tenure consideration. Instead, an instructor who excels in research will usually evaluated more highly than an instructor who excels in the classroom. It seems that placing too much emphasis on research and development has put American university personnel under enormous pressure.
As a consequence, few faculty are willing to put much effort in developing innovative ideas and teaching materials for their classroom activities. This is not only a problem in the United States, but the same is true in Japan. Although it would be difficult to do so, characteristics of Japanese management style such as "kaizen" and "QC circle" should be applied to higher educational programs. In the 21st century digital network society, such efforts should be put into effect at higher educational institutions in America and Japan.
Instructors interested in online education may not possess appropriate media literacy. Middle-age Japanese instructors, in particular, not familiar with using a keyboard, may feel it quite burdensome to conduct online education. Despite the rapid progress of the Internet in educational settings, it is a serious problem that instructors who can make the best use of this valuable pedagogical tool are extremely rare. To make the situation worse, media literacy education to teaching staff has not been offered to any satisfactory degree yet. This is due primarily to the lack of appropriate personnel capable of giving easy-to-understand media literacy instructions to novices in this field. This problem is not confined to Japan, but the same is true for American educational institutions (Report: Teachers Lack Computer, Net Training:http://www.Washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/Wpcap/1999-02/22/015r-022299-indx.html).
Education in the digital network society will progress in cooperation with the Internet. To make the results most effective, however, teaching staffs need to be familiar with new developments in media tools in the field of education. Otherwise, the best results will not be attained.
Certainly, it is essential to organize the computer instruction manuals for children. Upon acquiring the basic knowledge in media literacy, it would be ideal to have children master the operation of the computer through the trial-and-error method.
It is the children who will take the initiative and will become well integrated in the coming digital network society. In the 21st century, the skills of composing and formatting information are essential. In the child-centered education children learn through cooperation with each other, and publish the results of their studies in the Internet so that anyone in the world can access to the information. This way, community networks and international exchanges will be established naturally.
There are some Web sites emphasizing the aforementioned study objectives. As examples, in Japan there is My Town, Map Contest: PC and Constructing Life Map by Using Media (http://www.mytownmap.or.jp/), and in the United States, there is Education World: Cool Schools (http://www.education-world.com/cool-school/)
Through participation in these programs children not only learn media literacy, but also expand their communication with other communities throughout Japan and throughout the world. In this sense, child-centered learning should be pursued in media literacy education programs.
URLs on Online Education
1. Community Model
In general, overseas Japanese families not only isolate themselves from local communities, but also lose contact with the Japanese communities from which they come. However, many of these problems could be alleviated by making better use of digital multimedia. The community model used in Internet business would serve as one of the more effective means of solving this problem.
The community model is the one which seek profits by arranging attractively the content and data on a certain topic, and customizing the Internet experience for those interested in the topic. On the subject of education for overseas children, for example, one could imagine providing those concerned about overseas education with features like a database on overseas education, and a discussion forum to talk about overseas education.
To make a site like this successful, a pleasant atmosphere is important so that a first time visitor will be inclined to register as a member. Asking registered members to leave their email addresses is essential so that the site managers can contact them later. There are also the so-called ghost members who registered but do not actually participate in the community activities. Despite some "ghost" users, the total of these registered email addresses provides some measure of the size of the community. Furthermore, it is worthwhile for to conduct off-line meetings once in a while. Face-to-face interactions have been shown to strengthen community ties.
A growing number of community model online businesses have been created in the United States, as seen in the following examples:
2. Personal Web Sites /Home Pages
Most of the Web sites (home pages) made by individuals are part of community model Web sites focusing on certain themes. Community models seem to be most successful when the Web site owner starts constructing the Web site as a hobby or for their pleasures rather than doing so as a business. A personal site with excellence in its content and quality may receive a lot of traffic and may sometimes develop into a commercial site. As the nature of the Internet calls for volunteerism, some may feel uneasy about shifting from the personal to the commercial. However, as the webmasters invest so much time and energy in constructing their home pages they may as well get rewarded for their efforts.
Thus, overseas Japanese families abroad could construct individual community model Web sites with the idea of turning them into community models someday. Themes of such Web sites would be anything related to their interests. The construction of community model Web sites would be the one of the most ideal means of communication with other people in the world.
3. Studying at Home
The Internet enables one to choose to participate in study programs related to one's own needs. There is, for example, the study site run by Infoseek (the Microsoft search engine) called Study Channel (http://www.infoseek.co.jp/17?sv=JP&col=JT)), and various study Web sites run by Benesse Corporation (http://www.Benesse.co.jp/).
The above-mentioned Study Channel classifies information into the following seven categories: namely, topics, services, study forums, schools/online education, online simulation examinations, showcases, and mailing list search. Any member of the family can select a program related to one's own needs and interests, then register and study that topic. Online simulation examinations, for example, provide site visitors with opportunities to practice to take various qualifying examinations. TOEIC, for example, gives a simulation examination on ten questions. Immediately after a visitor to the site answers these ten questions, and returns them to the Webmaster, the results are returned by email to the person who took the simulation examination.
Web sites by the Benesse Corporation take a different approach, classifying topics into one of the following eleven areas: Searching for Intelligence with Pleasure, Career-up Seminars, Support for Job Seeking Activities, Papa-Mama Forums, NAVICOM NET for Civil Servant Examinations, MY ENGLISH WAVE, Internet Find Out Correspondence, Study Abroad, TV Conference on English Conversation, and TECC (Test of Chinese Communication). Through the use of these Web sites and links Japanese families abroad now have easy access to study programs in Japanese. Today, online educational programs in Japanese for children at all levels are well organized. Programs range from pre-school children to high schools and preparatory programs for university entrance examinations. The educational impact can be quite significant when children use these educational programs thoughtfully. Living abroad may no longer be a handicap to Japanese children, who fear falling behind their peers in Japan. Thus, overseas Japanese parents should begin to view foreign living as a valuable cross-cultural learning experience for their children. At the same time, these parents should encourage their children to expand their friendships with local children in host countries.
URLs on Constructing the Community Model
1. Home Networking
As personal computers (PCs) have been installed widely at home a growing number of families possess multiple number of PCs today. Under these circumstances, it is convenient if information stored in each of the PCs could be shared by networking all the PCs installed at one's home. In other words, using the PC-to-PC networking technology interconnects all the PCs at one's home, and share the information obtained through the Internet.
The home networking system can be applied not only to PC-to-PC, but also to TV-to-PC, by connecting the TV to PCs. It is likely that the number of homes that adopt some kind of home networking system will increase rapidly in the near future. In fact, in early 1999 there were 21 million households which owned multiple PCs in America, and 12 percent of them (2.52 million households) had set their PCs networking one way or the other (U.S. Home Networking Market to Grow Over 600% by 2003: http://www.instat.com/pr/99/homentwk.htm).
Based on this data, it is likely that Japanese interest in home networking will increase. Such a system is especially useful for housewives as it enables them to more contact with the outside world and even to work at jobs while staying home. Due to the high social orientation of the Internet, people can participate in various social activities. It makes no difference whether these Japanese families are dwelling in urban cities, living abroad, or residing in less populous regions. The important thing for each of family is a positive attitude, and responsibilities for their work and life.
Nevertheless, the digital home at this stage may have drawbacks. Privacy and security issues are likely to take precedence over the design of the technology as systems become more sophisticated (The dark side of the digital home: http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/special/darkside.html/). The issue of privacy relates to the problem of disclosure of personal information in the home through a networked PC. Certainly, the protection of privacy is a basic human right. In addition, there is a high likelihood that the personal information might be misused if made available to public. Consequently, there emerge critical problems for risk management and information security.
3. The Era of Spiritual Machine
The development of information technology in the 21st century may solve the aforementioned problems. At the beginning of the 21st century, human beings will be faced with an epoch making turning point. It is very likely that a PC more intelligent that a man will be in use. In 2019, ten years from now, a PC equivalent to a human brain in its data processing speed will be available in only 1,000 dollars. Furthermore, in 2029, software programs to operate these systems with advanced artificial intelligence technologies will be brought into public use. By then, the average PC will be equivalent to human processing power of 1,000 individuals. In other words, Kurzweil postulates that a time may come when human beings live in close contact in their daily lives with artificial intelligence far superior to themselves (Kurzweil, 1998: Human Contacts with PCs: http://news.Jp.msn.com/worldreport.asp?id=990223spirit).
The era of spiritual machine, as Kurzweil call it, will no longer be science fiction. In the 21st century, in fact, it will be difficult to distinguish precisely between men and artificial intelligence. The neural implant, for example, is a technology to implant computer links directly into the human brain. Today, there are some examples already; such technology has been applied to patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. By the year 2020, many healthy people may choose to have a neural implant applied to themselves to enhance their feelings, senses, memories, and thinking abilities. Once the neural implant is successfully implemented, it would be possible to access to the Internet directly from one's brain (Kurzweil, 1998: Human Contacts with PS's: http://news. Jp.msn.com/world- report. asp?id=990223spirit).
The neural implant technology will enable humans to share experiences of others in virtual space without needing hardware computer technology such as the robotic maid we discussed earlier. This new virtual reality would be far more refined and advanced than what we would have today and much more lifelike. However, new problems will emerge like completely artificial "humans" and personalities, and of identities based on neurally implanted individuals. Political intervention will be required to sort out some of the legal issues related to "identity" and what that means. (Kurzweil, 1998: Human Contacts with PS's: http://news. Jp.msn.com/world- report. asp?id=990223spirit).
4. Women, the Internet, and SOHO
It has been predicted in the United States that by the end of 1999 the phenomenon called feminization of the Internet would emerge, indicating the majority of the Internet users would be women rather than men (IDC Predicts Major Web Portal Shakeout, Men Become the New Internet Minority: http://www.idc.com/press/123098apr.htm). A similar trend can be seen in Japan also, as the number of women Internet users has been on the rise, and will exceed 40 percent of the total by the year 2000.
Social impact of the feminization of the Internet is significant due to the following reasons:
In the digital network society it would be more likely that women are not only consumers and recipients of information, but also business owners. Much attention has been paid to SOHO (Small Office and/or Home Office). The SOHO concept enables women to work at home while also fulfilling a role as mother and homemaker.
SOHO, a buzzword created in the Silicon Valley, has varying interpretations, and there is no single definition today. In America, SOHO business include anything from headhunting to pool cleaning. Thus, SOHO and computer/the Internet are not necessarily connected to each other (Japan Small Business Corporation, SOHO in the United States: http://www.jsbc.go.jp/). In the United States, at home workers engaged in SOHO businesses may often be employed full time in the home.
In Japan, on the contrary, SOHO is used more loosely than the original American meaning. Generally speaking, SOHO in Japan suggests people who engage in work in small home spaces using PCs and other media appliances (e.g. fax, telephone, copiers, etc). Furthermore, women engaged in SOHO activities in Japan are quite narrowly defined as subcontractors at home working on DTP (desktop publishing) and PC operations. In other words, SOHO in Japan literally means computer assisted part-time jobs done at home. Therefore, it is generally difficult in Japan to financially support oneself solely by way of SOHO.
Since around the end of 1997 SOHO has been discussed widely in Japan, and SOHO magazines are available in cyberspace. Some examples are as follows:
There are many functions that a SOHO could perform. Some examples of the application of the Internet to daily life, for example, would be online sale of household goods, time scheduling, volunteer works, and others. SOHO workers with technology skills could be illustrators, planners, producers of advertisements, translators and language instructors, and media literacy counselors (What could be done by SOHO works at home: http://florasoho.hitachi.co.jp/soho/soho-top.html).
A SOHO oriented work environment is quite flexible. That is, as the content of work changes (adding innovative ideas continuously), not only the quality of the work itself would improve but at the same time a SOHO work would also mature professionally. As a consequence, SOHO workers may venture into a new kind of professional work world. What is important for SOHO workers, then, is their willingness to be responsible, independent, and highly professional. A professional work ethic will be important to attract and retain work contracts and clients. Japanese wives living overseas could broaden their horizon by actively developing a SOHO business at home.
Details of the Heart Liner Support Center are available on the Web site. The group offers various information useful for overseas living by breaking down topics into the following six categories: life seminar, education seminar, tips for giving parties, various pre-departure services , living abroad, post-return, and moving. Advice by spouses who actually lived abroad is most helpful in alleviating the anxieties of those who are just about to start living overseas.
When these types of services are more widely available, it will be common practice to obtain information on the communities to be assigned prior to one's departure. The progress of the digital network society will make this possible. One example is the online service started in July, 1999 by Nissho Iwai & Trading Company on the experiences of moving to the United States from Japan. This information is part of the Virtual Relocation Web site in Oregon (http://www.virtualrelocation.com/).
Virtual Relocation is a very popular English-language Web site which provides information about moving (relocation) in 125 fields and 130,000 cases; 2.5 million people visit the Web site in a year. In its Japanese version, in addition to the translation of the English version, information especially useful for Japanese families has been added. This additional information includes housing information for Japanese families, public services in the community, schools in the area, insurance, travelling, travel agencies, realtors, Japanese restaurants, and Japanese schools.
Nissho Iwai plans to launch a similar online information service for foreigners who are assigned to Japan, or who visit Japan on business and sightseeing as well. That is, they intend to provide information in English on housing and daily living in Japan. These new trends in online information services are the clear evidence that the Internet will become one of the basic infrastructures in the 21st digital network society.
URLs on Home, Women, Internet, and HOSO
1. Cyber Communication in Aging Society
It is often the case that the younger the individual is, the easier it is for them to access the most up-to-date information. Therefore, the elderly are likely to be left behind as society changes. In the early 21st century Japan will launch into the super aging society, and the proportion of the Japanese elderly 65 and over would be above 25 percent of the national average. Thus, on average, in the digital network society, Japan's elderly will constitute one out of every four people. However, there are many communities whose aging rates have already exceeded 20 percent, and their rates would be well beyond 25 percent of the national average in the early part of the 21st century (Kumagai, 1997a, 1997b).
The Japanese elderly in the 21st century will not necessarily be care recipients who are bedridden or demented. It is quite likely that many of Japan's elderly in the future will be healthy and active individuals. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to classify all the older people of 65 and over into one group and call them the elderly. As the rate for the bedridden and/or senile increases with age, it may be useful to classify the elderly into three groups and call them young old (65-74), middle old (75-84), and old-old (85 and over). Then, public services and social welfare programs for the elderly directed specifically for each group.
What counts most in the digital network society is the thinking ability of human beings. Although it is undeniable that the ability of the elderly to adjust to new environments in general is low and slow in coming, they have accumulated valuable knowledge and have a broad set of life experiences. When the elderly are determined to make the best use of their valuable knowledge and experiences, they will be better able to pursue independent lifestyles in the coming digital network society.
Based on the above-mentioned perspective, older people can be viewed as active volunteers rather than the retirees from society, as it has been considered so far (Tanaka, 1994). This kind of emerging trend will be in full bloom in the digital network society by way of inter-space network programs.
2. Internet Community among the Elderly
Many older persons are healthy. One new network-enabled activity would be to maintain active communications between overseas Japanese families and their elderly parents left in Japan. Intergenerational contacts can be established between the net generation and the elderly through the collaborative work of making home pages and Web sites. Even if they might not be related to each other, it is an effective for an older person and a net generation youth to exchange ideas through cyberspace. In the United States, in fact, cyber communication between the elderly and the net generation has been quite popular already (Generation Link: http://www.pathfinder.com/time/reports/50plus/).
A Web article entitled "The Older People Online" (http://netnews.com/1998/cyberia/9804/24/04230052.htm) is clear evidence that they too are participating in the digital network society. In cyberspace the elderly exchange ideas with each other. The elderly are well equipped, with the abilities, knowledge, and experiences important to a global digital network society. The highly developed technologies make it possible for older people throughout the world to maintain strong ties to each other through cyber communications. Some examples are as follows:
In the Mellow Society, companies, merchandisers, and local governments are all contributing to develop an affluent and energetic aging society. Outstanding projects are nominated for their excellence, and newsletters are published to keep organizations informed of Mellow Society activities. The group solicits suggestions online, and provides chat and email faciltiies for the elderly to communicate with each other. The organization also offers a wide variety of online courses for the elderly, including Web site deisgn, HTML, and introduction to the PC operations.
Third Age (http://www.thirdage.com/) is the venture company for the Internet targeting the older people, while SeniorNet (http://www. seniornet.seniornet.org/) is the largest of the Internet communities for the senior citizens in the United States. SeniorNet has a long history beginning in 1986. It is a non-profit organization for the aging, has an online Web site, and has opened computer learning centers (CLCs) throughout the United States. Today, the total membership of SeniorNet is more than 25,000 people.
Some examples of senior network Web sites in Japan are as follows:
One of the strongest incentives for the elderly to use the Internet actively would be that they can participate in various activities while staying home. It used to be that senior citizens after their retirement often became isolated from society. With the Internet they are able to broaden their horizon by pursuing various hobbies and interest online. The interests of the elderly vary, and there are several hundred chat groups in SeniorNet with a broad range of themes. Making the best use of one's own experiences, one can pursue these hobbies and activities further by sharing them with others online. Owing to the Internet and the abundance of information available online, the elderly today are able to lead independent lifestyles as active participants in society.
For the elderly, the Internet helps provides assistance with daily chores. They can use E-commerce transactions to purchase various commodities, and they can perform online searches on library information and books at home. As one grows older you are often less inclined to drive, especially in bad weather. In this case, e-commerce may prove to be quite important to the elderly, as it enables to obtain essential goods and services without leaving the home (e.g. ordering groceries over the Internet is becoming common in the U.S.). The senior citizen who cannot or will not drive can still have convenient access to information and services throughout the world, and order what they like instantaneously.
3. The Internet and Participation in Social Activities of the Elderly
One of the problems that senior citizens in America face who still have independent living arrangements is the isolation from the outside world. The older person online start using email to communicate with their children and other relatives, and they soon develop interests in other aspects of the Internet.
It often happens that the elderly whose relatives and friends are all passed away feel lonely all by themselves because the support they received formerly from family and friends is gone. To an older person with no living relatives, the online chat groups perform a vital function to enlarge friendship and social activities. That is, the Internet chat groups become virtual realities for them. These virtual realities can become significant psychological supports to these senior citizens, and draw them into cohesive networks of human relationships.
As reported by SeniorNet, they had 22 online weddings by January 1999. The number of couples who are in online love romance is likely to increase in the future. A good example would be the American movie entitled "You've Got M@il" made in 1998; the film suggests that email can act as a go-between for couples. Therefore, the online wedding might well become a popular lifestyle choice in the 21st digital network society for all age groups.
Generally speaking, the elderly have limited opportunities to meet with people whom they might wish to marry. Through the online chat groups, however, the elderly communicate with people who share similar hobbies, and get to know each other well. There are many different types of individuals among the senior citizens, as is always true for any age groups. Thus, it would not be appropriate to stereotype the elderly as one single older group. In fact, it is intelligence and personality which count most. The most important thing for the elderly, then, would be that they nurture in themselves their own identities and ignore the common stereotypes and misconceptions about the aged.
Seniors online are full of energy, and will be active volunteers in the cyberspace in the 21st digital network society. Whether they can lead their lives as active volunteers or not will depend totally on their personal philosophy if they are willing to make the best use of opportunities. With the Internet, it does not matter as much if they are physically handicapped. All that is necessary is their willingness to maintain a positive attitude as active seniors. Physically healthy individuals, on the contrary, might have difficulties in being active volunteers if they possess negative attitudes about life.
The important thing for seniors will be whether they are willing to learn, and to take part in community activities. Life, in a sense, is a marathon of an ongoing learning process. There will be no question that the elderly will have difficulties acquiring new technology skills. However, a positive attiude and willingness to study can solve physical obstacles all by itself.
A good example of an active senior in Japan would be writer Tsutomu Mizukami who began suffering from serious eye disease at age 78. Before the illness he was unfamiliar with the digital network. Once he recovered from the illness, however, he began to use PC for his writing and editing, and has come to use it to communicate with editors by email. His interests in new technologies is so strong, that he even became a software tester for an innovative word processor software allowing one to input data orally (Mizukami, 1999).
There is a lesson in this story for the many middle and upper managers who have been reluctant to begin using a personal computer. When an elderly person nearly 80 years old could manage a digital appliance, why not managers in their 40's and 50's? What is important here is the innate curiosity to master the advanced technology of the digital network society.
URLs on the Elderly in the Digital Network Society
1. Internet and Medical Information
Being online enables the elderly to obtain medical information, but also allows them to seek advice from peers who suffer from similar health problems. It is not just the elderly who receive benefits from online medical resources, and the impacts of "Dr. Internet" will extend to the entire family.
In fact, more than 60 million Americans used the Internet to obtain medical information during the year 1998. Of those, 90 percent felt that the information they obtained was appropriate and useful (Millions use Net to find medical info: http://spyglass1.sjmercury.com/breaking/docs/038281.htm).
However, it is important to be cautious about the dangers of using online medical information. For example, the information obtained might be obsolete or even incorrect. Someone could even open a cyber clinic online without any accredited medical certification. Online medical information and cyber clinics must be examined carefully as they begin to have more affect on our lives.
2. Distance Medicine (telemedicine)
Research and development in the field of telemedicine has been making steady progress in the United States, and over the past five years concerns about it has also increase. In February 1999 a novel telemedicine technique for people who suffer from stroke came into practice. It enables medical doctors to conduct real time examinations of the patients who have suffered from stroke in the heart or brain. The academic journal entitled Stroke (from the American Heart Association) introduced "telestroke" in their February 1999 issue. This device has been developed to support medical doctors who practice medicine in small rural communities, or in community hospitals in which there is no medical specialist in heart disease (Distance medicine for the stroke patients is now brought into practice: http://www/hotwired.co. jp/news/news/Technology/story/1999.html).
The telestroke is a system to connect medical staffs who work at emergency rooms of small hospitals and storke specialists by using videoconference systems, ISDN, and desktop computers. These two parties examine the patient simultaneously, test the extent of the stroke, investigate scanned films of the patient's internal organs, and determine the types of stroke which the patient may have suffered. The system even enables the stroke specialist to tell doctors in emergency room the appropriate medication to be prescribed and the operations to be performed.
Furthermore, the project has been applied to provide emergency treatments to the stroke patients in the ambulance. The system enables the stroke specialist at a hospital to examine the patient while he or she is being transported in the ambulance. By the time the patient arrives at the hospital the stroke specialist has completed the examination of the patient already, and has obtained information like the blood type and other vital signs. Therefore, immediately after the arrival of the patient at the hospital, the patient is under the treatment that is prescribed for the symptoms.
In the digital network society telemedicine will be an effective means of health management and medical service provision for the elderly residing in remote areas. Japanese families abroad are concerned about the health conditions of their elderly parents left in Japan. In the less populous regions it often happens that medical and care services are not well equipped. Under these circumstances, remote areas and hospitals with advanced medical facilities are inter-connected through the cyber network, and emergency treatments urgently needed for the patient can be performed properly.
It will not be a problem if patients, due to the health and/or safety reasons, are unable to visit hospitals equipped with modern medical facilities. Likewise, patients who reside in remote areas where there is no appropriate medical facilities will still have access to excellent health care. In the 21st century digital network society, distance medicine will become part of the culture. It is hoped, therefore, that the new type of medical services will promote the medical and health services for elderly parents separated from Japanese families assigned overseas.
URLs on Distance Medicine and Telemedicine
Books and Articles:
Kumagai, Fumie
1997a Regional Variations of the Japanese Family: Eastern Japan
(in Japanese), Kyoto: Minerva-shobo.
Kumagai, Fumie
1997b Regional Variations of the Japanese Family: Western Japan (in
Japanese), Kyoto: Minerva-shobo.
Kurzweil, Ray
1998 The Age of Spiritual Machines.
Mizukami, Tsutomu
1999 Cyber Life (in Japanese), Tokyo: Tetsugaku-shobo.
Tanaka, Hisateru
1994 Volunteers in Aging Society (in Japanese), Tokyo: Iwanami-shoten.
URLs:
URLs on Digital Society Model
URLs on Online Education
URLs on Constructing the Community Model
URLs on Home, Women, Internet, and HOSO
URLs on the Elderly in the Digital Network Society
URLs on Distance Medicine and Telemedicine
NOTES
1 The author of this manuscript makes lecture notes by using PowerPoint, a presentation software, and show in the class. However, the amount of time required in preparing for these lecture notes is enormous. Nevertheless, when these lecture notes in slide format are projected on the screen, there is very little personal talk among students. The students appear to be more willing to pay attention to these lectures than the traditional ones.
2 Among many of these examples, let us take only one portal Web sites each in the United States and Japan.
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