How has the rise in popularity of the internet since 1990 influenced how young people in Japan, China and/or Korea see each other and their history? Please include Japan in your answer

How has the rise in popularity of the internet since 1990 influenced how young people in Japan, China and/or Korea see each other and their history? Please include Japan in your answer.

 

 

 

Introduction

 

            With the popularity of the Internet since the early 1990s, people recognizing the potential for global learning assumed that this tool offers a widely accessible and cheap way of facilitating international learning[1], with learning encompassing not only the virtual classrooms but also intercultural exchange in social settings as well as a wide spectrum of learning topics. The reaction to this assumption is twofold. On one hand, there were people that supported online international learning to allow more people to enrich their knowledge through a facilitated online learning environment.[2] The core idea for supporters is the potential of providing access to cheaper international learning.[3] On the other hand, there were others that critiqued the ability of the Internet to facilitate learning because of its limitations in allowing personal contact, which is necessary in achieving meaning from interrelationships. The core argument of the group is that Internet learning cannot provide or replace real learning because of the impossibility of developing real relationships for informational and experiential exchange.[4]

            Currently, the resolution of the issue involved the recognition that the Internet cannot replace personal or face-to-face learning environments. However, the Internet comprises an effective tool for the facilitation of communication for information sharing and intercultural exchange. This means that while the Internet cannot entirely provide the learning needs of users, it can provide users with the means of accessing information otherwise difficult to search in person or interaction with people in different geographic locations and time zones. The succeeding discussions seek to investigate this mode of issue resolution by specifically looking at the experiences of young people in Japan, China and Korea in learning and appreciating their history and that of other cultures.

Internet & History for Japan’s Youth

            Japan was an innovator and leader in Internet utilization. The underlying principle for its Internet use is the combination of autonomy, distribution and collaboration. This also applies in classroom education and real life learning. This found expression in Japan’s educational system as standard and uniform learning that discourage individualism and creativeness.[5] In the educational field of history, this meant that young people only learned of their people’s history through the standardized history lessons taught in school. Beyond this, most young people may not be knowledgeable about other facets of their history or of the history of other cultures.

            In the long term implementation of autonomy, distribution and collaboration, Japan experienced deceleration in the past years with the economic progress of other East Asian countries posing a challenge to Japan to maintain its position. The deceleration has been attributed to a number of causes including its educational policy. Japan needs to assess its educational system in order to accommodate the demands of the global information age society.

            One way that Japan can shift its educational system from standard and uniform learning to a more individualized creative and analytical education is through the utilization of the Internet to enhance international learning. Although computers and the Internet have always been integrated into Japan’s educational system, the government needs to shift its mode of utilization to provide young people with the motivation to engage in individual or independent learning outside of the educational system so they can achieve more learning. With greater learning of work experiences, young people can propel Japan towards the next century.

            In particular, a solution is to enhance the exposure of all members of the community regardless of age or economic status to Internet learning. This is expected to facilitate intergenerational learning in the future. In the long run, with individualized or independent utilization of young people of the Internet in international learning, this would facilitate intergenerational exchange and learning of different facets of society including its rich history. [6]

            With a new mode of Internet utilization, Japanese youth and even the society at large will be able to discover more of their historical tradition. History is essentially passed on from one generation to another, without such passage the history of the Japanese society would be buried with the demise of the older generation who have experienced significant aspects of history. Through the Internet, historical accounts become immortalized through digital technology so that even if the older generation is taking long to keep up with Internet utilization, history will not be forgotten.

            Apart from the Internet as a mode of historical transference, this digital tool also allows independent learning that develops the analytical and creative skills of young people. With creativity, young people will be able to create a continuous picture of Japan’s history by surfing through various sites. Two-dimensional pictures and videos aid young people in imagining what is was like during the age of the empires and how the Japanese society became united to successfully meet the industrial age head-on and become an influential state in international affairs. Through analytical thinking, young people will be able to draw lessons from their country’s past that they would carry with them as they assume leadership and key roles in Japan as the country moves forward in the digital age.

            The Internet popularity in Japan coupled with a shift in the educational system would allow Japan’s youth to gain a tool for information sharing and develop creativity and analytical thinking. These then support or even motivate young people to engage in depth studies of history through pictures, video and accounts that in turn builds deeper appreciation of the glory of the Japanese society. With international learning format, Japanese young people are also able to have insight into the histories of other East Asian countries and states beyond the region.

Internet & History for China’s Youth

            While Internet access and utilization is open to all people in Japan so that the extent and purpose for use in international historical learning became highly influenced by the standardized educational system and other societal influences, China holds a confused stand over Internet Use.

            In early 2006, the local communist party of Shanxi province banned Internet use by young people because this was deemed as negatively influencing the students. However, Internet use has become popular that underground Internet cafes with the exact location only known to its customers troop secretly to the site to play games or surf the net.[7] A similar stand on Internet use persists in other provinces. It is only in the cities that there arises greater tolerance by the older population and the communist government of Internet utilization by young people. In relation to the utilization of the Internet as a tool for young people to discover more about their heritage and that of other cultures, China has established limited use for the Internet in educational learning or socialization resulting to limited market saturation of Internet as a tool.

            Similar to Japan, China needs to optimize Internet optimization if its plans to succeed in the digital age. If China refuses to embrace the Internet and even suppress Internet use, then its economy would expect to suffer in the succeeding years with other countries outperforming the country in networked business and social relations. A fundamental manner of ensuring China’s position in the digital age is by supporting greater access to young people and even to the older age groups of the Internet. If the country wants society to become responsible Internet users, then there are better ways of dealing with the ills of the Internet apart from completely banning its use, albeit the effort is futile.

            With wider Internet access and utilization by young people as well as by older age groups, the Internet could actually become a unifying factor for the Chinese people. With a widespread acceptance of the inevitable role of the Internet in internationalization, society can then commence the development of the means with which it can motivate responsible use of the Internet. Unified perception of the Internet also results to innovations on the manner that the Chinese society can optimize the Internet to enhance the knowledge and develop new skills that the country needs in the global age.

            Apart from experiencing the benefits of the Internet to historical exploration similar to the case of Japan, China can enhance its historical direction and wealth with the benefits that society can derive from having a unified perception over Internet utilization.

Conclusion

            A look into the experiences of Japan and China on Internet utilization in learning shows that even as a supporting tool for learning, the Internet is a powerful tool that offers advantages and disadvantages. The optimization of benefits depends upon the manner a country’s perception, attitude and behaviour towards the Internet. If a country is open to the internet, which is rightly so because this is the primary tool in the digital age, then the country is able to go beyond the issue of whether the Internet is good or bad and move on towards the issue of the manner of addressing its ills and enhancing its contributions to society. If a country remains engrossed in the issue of whether or not to support the Internet, this hampers process of understanding and maximizing Internet use. In the end, it is the country and its people that suffer by lagging in Internet-based benefits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

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