November 14, 2006
Otaku
Japanese Kids colonize the Realm of Information and Media
The rise of the Otaku generation is one of the most striking phenomena of contemporary Japan. In Mediamatic Volume 5, issue 3, Gabin Itoh, editor of the Japanese magazine Log In already mentioned the game Otaku, children lost to everyday life by their fanatical enthusiasm for all manner of different computer games in which they immerse themselves totally...
The few common denominators are that otaku are teens or twens, mostly boys who usually wear jeans, T-shirt and sneakers, which might not sound very characteristic but in fashion-crazy Japan it is. They despise physical contact and love media, technical communication and the realm of reproduction and simulation in general. They are enthusiastic collectors and manipulators of useless artifacts and information. They are an underground but they are not opposed to the system. They change, manipulate and subvert ready-made products but at the same time they are the apotheosis of consumerism and an ideal workforce for contemporary Japanese capitalism. They are the children of the media..." From Otaku: Japanese Kids colonize the Realm of Information and Media by Volker Grassmuck, Mediamatic.
Posted by jo at November 14, 2006 11:59 AM
