Learning in Department of Socio-Media Studies Seminar

Relaxing on a park bench or sitting next to a cake in a stylish cafe. Teddy bears, dogs, and character toys are all over social media as if they are just a part of everyday life. "Nui-dori," the act of taking photos with stuffed animals as the main focus, has become a common sight with the spread of social media. There are even businesses that accept stuffed animals from people who want to travel but can't, and send them "Nui-dori" photos on their behalf. A student who was interested in whether this phenomenon is common around the world compared Instagram in Japan and other countries. He found that Japanese people treat stuffed animals as if they were alive, and they appear not only as members of their own family, but also as their own alter egos.
The rapid spread of smartphones and social media has greatly changed the way we communicate. However, our underlying values do not change so easily. In Japan, the majority of people feel uncomfortable showing their real faces on social media. Stuffed animals are like avatars. By having a stuffed animal appear in your photos instead of you, you can actively share your everyday life and travel experiences with the world.

Social psychology is a field that uses data to verify and analyze the thoughts and actions of ordinary people in the world, influenced by various situations. Hypotheses are formulated, experiments, observations, questionnaire surveys, etc. are conducted, and verification is based on data. Content analysis of cultural products such as books, magazines, TV programs, and commercials may also be performed. For example, a comparison can be made based on the catchphrase of a magazine advertisement in Japan, which encourages conformity by saying "This year's trend is this color," while in America, which emphasizes differences by saying "Stand out with this color!".
In the third year of the seminar, students will learn theories, various empirical methods, and data analysis methods while cultivating their research interests, and will complete their graduation thesis in the fourth year. Themes are often chosen from familiar interests, and can be as varied as human relationships, communication on social media, interactions with strangers, and song lyrics. However, students will take the time to discuss whether the topic is actually worth researching and what its social and academic significance is. Through this series of processes, students aim to acquire the ability to view the world from a broad, analytical perspective and the ability to verify it.