NEKAMA - Center for Ethics of Science and Technology

Complexity of Gender on the Net ：
ICT is New Measure of the Gender Liberation?
Ryoko Asai
the Centre for Business Information Ethics
Meiji University
MEIJI
UNIVERSITY
Introduction1: Trigger for This Study
Gender/Gender Roles
Information and
Communication
Technology (ICT)
Gender disparities in ICT use
ICT’s contribution to the empowerment of women
Many studies has focused on women
How about Men?
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Introduction2: Purpose of This Study
Purpose of this study is....
To examines the effects of ICT on men in Japan
from the viewpoint of gender / linguistic gender features
That’s because ....
Emergence of “Nekama” in Japan
Japanese men who present themselves as women in cyberspace
The point is ....
Introduction of “Nekama” phenomenon
Examination of Cultural influence on Japanese men
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by using or participating online communications
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Introduction3: Outline of This Study
① The general contours of online communication in Japan
② Japanese language gender system :“Japanese women’s language”
The background of generating Nekama in Japan
③ Characteristics of Nekama by categorizing them into two types
④ Case study of Nekama
How does behavior constructed by gender images affects
the communication pattern on the Net?
⑤ Conclusion
The pluralistic nature of gender identity made possible by the use of ICT
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In contemporary Japan ,
A large number of people join in online games or SNSs
The total population of Internet users
approximately 85.29
million
*
7.16 million
*
8.68 million
*
Social network service (SNS) members
Bloggers
Online game members
Of these gamers, members of fee-based game sites
28 million
1.75 million
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*Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 2006 **ECR Report, 2006; Online Game Forum, 2006
**
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Two types of online communication
“Transient Communication" and "“Database” Communication"
Online communication can be classified broadly into two types
" Transient communication"
:defined as
communication that occurs only once or a few times
e.g. one-time using bulletin board systems (BBSs)
" Continuing communication"
:define as a
relatively long-term relationship among certain people
e.g. online games, SNSs (pre-registration required)
These types differ in their spatial and temporal contexts.
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Invisibility and anonymity can bring about two broad types of
behavior in online communication
Online Communication
Invisibility
Type A
The communicator disrespects
others by misusing a trait of online
communications
having difficulty facing each other
directly in the real world
“Transient communication"
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Anonymity
Type B
The communicator assume comparatively
long-term communication in particular
online communities.
the possibility of meeting face-toface in off-line situations
“Continuing communication"
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Changing in a trait of communication in Japanese society
Retaining and Reinforcing Closed Relationships
→ More Open Relationships
Up to now
Japanese society attaches importance to effective social and economic
management through establishing mutual cooperative ties *
these ties grant comfort within close relationships of high
cohesiveness
At present
Relationships that are more open to the outside world have increasing
benefits, versus retaining and reinforcing closed relationships.
Many online communities may help foster a sense of belonging
especially…
participants in online games and SNSs can easily gain
a sense of commonality or belongingness
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*Yamagishi [1999]
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Emergence of Nekama: Men acting as women
Male player:
Online game players
91.0%
Female player: 9.0%
*
more than half of the players pose as female characters
+
presenting themselves as women
 using feminine forms of expression
choosing conversation subjects
dressing their characters or "avatars" in women's clothing
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*BB Serve, 2005
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Nekama = Net + “Okama”
Okama: refers to a gay man or male cross -dresser
Nekama
Okama living on the Net
However…
They does not necessarily correspond to a man's sexuality.
Characteristic of Nekama
 represent themselves as female on the Net
almost all heterosexual
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go about their normal daily life as person of male gender
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Japanese Women’s Language:
Cultural context that breeds Nekama
“Japanese women’s language” means
• the phrase referring to the empirical speech patterns of women
•an obligatory cultural category and unavoidable part of practical
social knowledge for both women and men
Speech Forms / the Management of Conversation
Linguistic-Features
Phonology
Speech Act
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Syntax
etc...
Extra-Linguistic-Features
Pitch of Voice
Social Roles
Female-Specific Attributes
etc...
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Japanese Women’s Language:
Gender Markers Indexing Femininity and Masculinity
“Japanese women’s language” is understood as
a set of linguistic forms and functions of language statistically
used by women
elements of certain feminine demeanors, roles, and attributes
Ex) soft-spoken, polite, hesitant, empathetic, gentle, nonassertive
“Japanese women’s language”
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a self conscious parameter of social change
and civil order
notions of culture, gender images
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Nekama:
Men handling women’s language skillfully on the Net
Online communication
Literal information
important element for many participants
By handling Japanese women’s language skillfully,
Nekama survive on the Net
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Why men become Nekama?
Two main reasons
to turn on a man who wants girlfriend on the Net and
humiliate him in front of other users
the enjoyment or sense of release obtained from acting as a
female
But...
Although many nekama are known to exist, little is known about them.
What is the reality of Nekama?
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“Nekama”: Case of a Nekama Participating in an Online Game
In the real world
He likes his job.
At the online game
By being Nekama...
He has pride in his job.
He can relieve the weight of gender.
He enjoys his daily life.
He reveals a “feminine” side or
a different disposition to an
online game buddy.
But sometimes...
He feels uncomfortable.
He wants others to recognize
that he has something of
“feminine” in his character .
He can just be himself
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UNIVERSITY
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“Nekama”: Case of a Nekama Participating in a SNS
In the real world
Being Nekama
He loves to see Kabuki.
He can relieve the weight of gender.
He likes to talk about Kabuki.
He enjoys his daily life.
He reveals a “feminine” side or
a different disposition to an
online game buddy.
In a Kabuki fan community
He is minority of Kabuki fans community.
He wants to talk with others about Kabuki,
without any uncomfortable feeling and
regardless of gender/sex differences.
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Being nekama serves to
facilitate his communication
on the Net.
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Kabuki: The traditional Japanese theater form
Being Nekama = an effective measure
for ameliorating gender problems
The first case of Nekama
Being Nekama
gender problem in the real world.
To extend possibilities for expressing
his pluralistic gender identity.
The Second case of Nekama
Being Nekama
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gender problem in cyberspace.
To be an important factor in building
human relationships and
communicating with others
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Nekama consists of personal options in cyberspace
Whether or not to belong to a community.
inc. gender
role
Whether or not to follow traditional roles, etc...
Nekama = as a consequence of personal choices
need to communicate with others
need to exist in cyberspace as “me who others know”
 lack of strong solidarity than conventional community in the real world
fluid situation
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Nekama
much possibility to change
oneself depending on contexts
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Conclusion
Nekama
trying to resolve their own gender difficulties by using the
invisibility and anonymity of the Internet
Our communication on the Net is influenced by
gender/sex as well as communication in the real world.
ICT provides people with effective alternatives to the gender
roles required in the real world.
Gender situations on the Net has much possibility to change in
response to ones in the real world, and vice versa.
Nekama phenomenon could raise debates about
individualization
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Thank you for your kind attention
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20
UN positions
"ICT as an instrument for the empowerment of women and girls"
21
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/wsis2005/
NEKAMA: Living with Another Gender
on the Net
Ryoko Asai
Doctoral Program of Political Science and Economics
Meiji University
MEIJI
UNIVERSITY
プレゼンのアウトライン
• ネットの世界においてジェンダーがどのように作用し
ているのか？
• 男性にとってとりわけどのような影響をもつのか
• 事例⇒ネカマ
• 現実世界におけるジェンダーに対する意識がネット
におけるコミュニケーションの前提として大きな役割
を果たしている。
• ICTは男性のもつ現実世界で制限される女性らしい
側面を自由に表現し解放するツールとして機能する
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•
•
•
•
Informative
話の概略から開始する
主たるメッセージは何ですか？
聞き手に理解し、覚えておいてもらいたいこと
は何ですか？
• 聞き手に対しては情報を理解し使ってもらい
たい
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• キーポイント3つ（平易→難解）
• キーポイントをサポートするサブポイントの準
備→キーポイントとの重要性を具体例を提示
して補足説明→最低2つ以上のサポートデー
タを盛り込む
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UNIVERSITY
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ICTとジェンダーとの密接な関係
共同性志向型コミュニケーション ←データベース的対人関係
場面、状況に応じて表出する自己←知られる私の集合＝私
ネット空間においてはあらゆることが個人にとっての選択の対象となる
→あらゆること：「共同体に帰属するかどうか」「伝統に従うかどうか」*
共同体や伝統や組織といったものもその前提となるソリッドな基盤を欠いているため、
流動的で、その場面場面に応じて形を変えうる。*バウマン
→アドホックな個人的な選択の帰結＝共同性＝つながりうることの重要性
←脱‐社会化の議論に対応する
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Characteristics of Online Users
in Japan
• Users of on-line communityは大半が男性
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Reflection of / Release from
gender role in the real world
• 現実世界におけるgender roleの反映とそれ
からの逸脱
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UNIVERSITY
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従来のジェンダーとICTに関する
研究
• 情報社会におけるジェンダー格差やジェン
ダー不平等への指摘
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UNIVERSITY
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