Facebook struggling in Japan

Yet another example of the famed "Japanese exceptionalism" in a recent New York Times article.  Less than 2% of Japan's online population uses Facebook, compared with 60% in the US.  Japanese sites still have the upper hand, offering user experiences that are tailored to the Japanese, for example a strong preference to remain incognito.  Interestingly, Twitter has taken off in Japan, so it's not resistance to "foreign" concepts (as an aside you can fit a lot more into 140 characters in Japanese - and even more so in Chinese - than alphabet-based languages).  It helps that your Twitter username and profile don't have to reveal your identity.

Given that Japanese culture imposes tightly defined social norms and behaviours, it must be fascinating for social scientists to research how the Japanese approach social media differently, and more importantly where the similarities are with other cultures.  Let me know if anyone has come across this type of research.

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