social network services in japan yuya muraki sns around the world

Social Network Services in Japan

Yuya Muraki

SNS around the World

SNS In Japan

GOCO 2003

GREE & MIXI 2004

MYSPACE 2006

FACEBOOK 2008

Who is winning in Japan ?

MIXI22 Million

MobageT. 22 Million

GREE 25 Million

Twitter 6 million EST.Facebook 2.5-3 million EST.

Active SNS Users In Japan

MIXI GREE Mobage

18.00%

9.50% 9.70%

Facebook Mixi Comparison

59.5% Females40.5% Males

42.3% Females 57.7% Males

Facebook Mixi Comparison

• Barker (2011) 84% of Mixi subscribers used the diary feature compared to 4% of Facebook users.

• 88% of Facebook users posted music, while only 8% of Mixi users did so.

• mixi is a “closed SNS” (Komaki, 2010). Its membership was invitation only from an existing user until March 1, 2010.

• Both PC and cell phone address are required to start mixi while Facebook and MySpace require only PC address.

• 84.3% of Japanese Facebook users reveal their name to people compared to only 20% of mixi users (MOBILE MARKETING DATA LABO., 2011).

• Facebook is used as a private communication tool by 53.2% of users and mixi is used as so by 81.0% of users.

ありがとう

MOBILE INTERNET USAGE IN JAPAN

E09059 Kaho Sakamoto

Background

1969, in the U.S.- Internet was invented

Purpose: to share information on research and development

1990s- researchers succeeded to make computers as the products in the world market. PC was introduced in Japan, and it became popular in the late 1990s. Purposes: email and Internet

Also, mobile phone companies introduced Internet services in the late 1990s. Very few people used it because it costed a lot.

NTT Docomo and Au announced a new “Flat-rate packet plan”( パケット定額 , unlimited plan) in 2004. The number of contractors increased

In 2005, the number of mobile Internet users

exceeded that of PC users. 66.01million < 69.23 million

User statistics & user demographics-1

the Ministry of Internal Affairs ( 総務省 ) 　：In 2010, the number of Internet users had increased to 94.08million = 78 percent of the total population

User statistics & user demographics -2

generation and income difference in Internet usage (‘08-’09)

all age and income groups got more familiar to mobile Internet.

EVERYONE uses the mobile internet , but the most active mobile Internet users belongs to the group of 12-19 year old school girls

 Why people use mobile internet and how they use it

Top Mobile Web Activities* June 2007Total Japan, Age 15+**Source: comScore Mobile Web Metrix

Email 75% News/Information 52% Search/Navigation 51% Games 39% Blogs 38%

skype

music

Ringtones （着うた）

mixi twitter

facebook

youtube

Compared to other countries

Japan : 75.2% The U.S. : 43.7% Europe : 38.5%

of mobile phone holders used the mobile browser and applications to download some contents.( Comscore ,2011)

Smart phone usage ratio % of smart phone users in 2010

March - 7.0 %April - 17.1 %July - 22.6 %September - 27.8 %December - 48.1 %

Analysts expect that more than half percent of people will have smart phones by year 2012.

Thank You !

HOW SOCIAL GAMES HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED

IN JAPAN

The First Game Boom in Japan

Space Invaders invented by Taito in 1978(Baba, 1996)

馬場 宏尚 ( 著 ) ソニー・セガ・任天堂 ゲーム機最終戦争エール出版社 (1996/10)

The Japanese video gaming population The Japanese gaming population

dropped to 31 million in 2009.

(37.4 million in 2007) 45.4% of non-video game player

answered they have no interest in gaming and 45.2% responded that they have other device/activity they want to buy/want to do. (CESA)

6 million

Social Games

Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association

social games are becoming more and more popular. Shintaro Okazaki, Maria Jesus Yague (p189) 2010

The number of the people who use major social games sites in Japan

mixi

mobage

gree

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

20092011

million

18 million

15 million

15 million

+ 5.45

+ 9.36

+ 9.96

2009 - DcCollier http://www.slideshare.net/d3ntaku/jp-soc-games-v032011 - mixi.co.jp/, gree.co.jp/, dena.jp/

WHY?

Main Points

The Simplicity

The easiness

The time frame

Play With Friends

The invitation driver

WHY?

The Simplicity

when you play pachinko, all you need to do is give a wrench at the handle. TV also needs only a button. Social games have to be in this way. (GREE’s head Mr. Tanaka - Itmedia.co.jp)

The easiness Top 5 applications of mixi

1. Sunshine ranch (Rekoo) Farm Ville≒2. Friends scorecard* (Soratobu)

3. Make City, My City Life≒4. Kaitou royale, Mafia Wars≒5. Kanji test (DRECOM). (mixi 2010)

1. Do not require difficult handlings or instantaneous assessments.

2. The enter key or click brings forward the social games.

New customers called light users such as female customers.

In 2003, only 78/500 women (over 6 years old) play video games. (CESA)

In 2010, there are 51.9% female social games users. (RBBToday)

2003 ＣＥＳＡレディース調査報告書RBBToday : http://www.rbbtoday.com/article/2010/01/21/65121.html

The time frame

Social games do not require playing much time for one day.

Instead of taking some hours for one time, people take 5 to 10 minutes for 3 times.

How Long Do People Play Social Games A Day

Total

Male

Female

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

less than 5 mins

5 to 10 mins

10 to 20 mins

20 to 30 mins

30 to 60 mins

more than an hour

(SoftBank Human Capital, 2010) http://www.softbankhc.co.jp/press/release/20100914/130000.html

*This questionnaire is questioned to 400 both male and female aged 20 to 49

When Do People Play Social Games

Before

go to

bed

Lunch tim

e

Comm

ute tim

e

Right a

fter w

ake u

p

During th

e toile

t

While

work

ing

While

sm

oking

While

takin

g a b

ath0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

MaleFemale

Play With Friends

The mutual activity with one’s friends is the core of social games. (Yokoe & Nakashima. 2011)

The core of Social games is not the quality but information exchanges and mutual experiences with friends. (Representative executive of looops communications Mr. Saito - Japan.internet.com)

The invitation driver

Encourages people to invite their friends into its contents.

People can get a prize when people invited new friends and the friends confirmed their invitations. In addition, the more friends they have the more extra advantage they can get.

Answers of question “Have you ever invite your friend to social games?”

Total

Male

Female

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Yes

No

Reasons to invite friends (multiple answers allowed)

To have prizes/ points

To paly with friends

To be helped by friends

Others

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

*This questionnaire is asked to 205 people who answered yes to question of table 3.

Conclusion Nonconventional mechanisms which video

games and online games do not contain built an extraordinary success.

The simplicity and the short time frame are efficient to draw light users’ interests; the cooperative activity and the invitation driver expanded the wave of exchange and increased customer acquisition.

To choose the system which suits people nowadays in Japan had an important role for social games to success.

Social games sites which people use the most (choose one)

Extra Info

mixi GREE Mobage iPhone Androido Facebook Others0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

45.00%

50.00%

Total20's30's40's

Internet Usage in Japan

A09073Ai Nishimuta

Ⅰ. History of Internet in Japan

・ Started in September of 1984;connecting two computers between Tokyo Institute of

Technology and Keio University, only with 300 bps.

・ Prf. Ishida tried to expand this network all the universities in Japan.・ The privatization of Japanese telecommunication was achieved in April 1985.

Incredibly slow!・ NTT offers a 100-Kbps channel to ordinary houses now.

1Kbps=1000bps(e-words; http://e-words.jp/w/bps.html)

(Esaki,2008)

2. Number

(Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “ Communication Usage Trend Survey ”, 2009)

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

1,155 1,694 2,706

4,7085,593

6,942

7,7307,948

8,5298,754 8,811

9,0919,408

9.213.4

21.4

37.1

46.3

57.8

64.3 6670.8 72.6 73 75.3

78

Number of users Penetration rate (population)

★ The penetration rate of broadband Internet for residential home in Japan has reached 95% as of March 2007.

Ⅱ. Status of Internet utilization in Japan

３ . How do people access to the Internet?

(White Paper “Information and Communications in Japan”,2010)

・ About 70% of people use both PC and cell phones. (6,492 million people)

Cell phones

PC

Games & TV

４ . Generation

6~12 13~19 20~29 30~39 40~49 50~59 60~64 65~69 70~79 over 80

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

68.9

95.5 96.3 95.792

82.2

63.4

37.6

27.7

14.5

68.6

96.3 97.2 96.3 95.4

86.1

71.6

58

32.9

18.5

20082009

(White Paper “Information and Communications in Japan”,2010)

%

Age

・ Gaps between generations・ number of the elderly who use the Internet has increased rapidly.

５ . Gender

(the Cabinet Office,2007)

・ Genders gap among the elderly

20~29 30~39 40~49 50~59 60~69 over 700

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

78.779.9

74.6

53.3

31.3

14.5

79.6

64.759.6

35.5

16.9

3.5

MaleFemale

%

Age

6. Purpose of Internet Use

To search for topics to enrich my conversation with people

For activities in a group of the same hobbies and interests

For closer relationship with my acquaintances

To get new ideas and concepts

To kill time

To broaden my knowledge

To have fun

For entertain

To explore information

0 20 40 60 80100

16

33.9

46.5

46.7

67.2

78.4

79.4

86.9

98.7

%

(Kimura,2002)

7. Self-disclosure on the homepage

facial portrait of my family

home address

home telephone number

introduction of my family

my facial portrait

my real name

links to the sites of my friends or acquaitances

diary

my e-mail address

my hobbies and interests

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

0

2

4.1

6.1

12.2

20.4

38.8

55.1

57.1

69.4

%

(Kimura,2002)

Sources;

Ministry of Internal affairs and CommunicationsWhite Paper “Information and Communications in Japan”,2010

H. Esaki , H. Sunahara, J. MuraiBroadband Internet Development in Japan, 2008

The Cabinet Office A public opinion poll,2007

T. KimuraCyberspace as socio-psychological Space: Cross-Cultural Comparison among the Japanese, Koreans and Finns,2002

ありがとう