Popular media representation
Differences between
media Representation and Reality
by Saneo
Introduction
In the previous section, we see the figures of Toyoko Kids formed by media, and mainly threre are 6 created images: mental instability, self-harming, Yami-culture, emphasized abonormality, identity seeker, and deprived children. Then, the section explored commonalities of them, which are focus on female figures and negative impressions. In order to check the existence of filter of media, which results in deviation of media information from reality, this page will judge how distant from reality the conveyed images are through reviewing actual observations of fieldsites and an interview to a person in Toyoko-kids community.
Negativity Bias
I conducted the interview to the guy in the group called Sakuraba, who apparently looks late 20s to early 30s. He seemed like the presence being respected by other members especially from the younger in the community. Before conducting interview, a group with three people including him had an open chats in CineCity Hiroba. In the conversation, they touched upon how media treats toyoko-kids and the situation created by media lets them feel uneasiness. They talked that media exaggerates negative aspects of toyoko-kids community and treats them as evil or outrageous in order to get a number of attention from the public. Then, I conducted a interview (I could have only 5 mins). He talked about the exactly the same content: they are unfairly treated by the media and make the community up evil presence in Kabukicho to get more attention.
The concept of negativity bias is the implicit human preference of negative over positive stimuli; negativity bias is the propensity to assign more weight to negative over positive messages. (Jarmoszko, 2021, p. 1).
No Price Tags on Girls (Linked with Security)
Although Toyoko kids are made up of a group of adolescence, the difference in age has created a system of older Toyoko kids protecting younger Toyoko kids. In one instance, two men (roughly in their 30s) were pacing the hiroba, scanning the area and looking at the female Toyoko kids. They approached a girl who was slightly separated from the rest of the group and asked if she wanted to leave with them, trying to bribe her by saying he would pay her 10,000 yen. Immediately after the other Toyoko kids noticed, they opened their circle to include her, making it difficult for the men to talk to her alone.
Read more on Security of Toyoko Kids
In terms of security, the prominent difference can be observed. Although the Bunsyun Online titled with a large phont as ”トー横にいる女の子はかなりの割合で“買える”ので…”[Girls in Toyoko can be purchased with quite high chances) and reported the readiness of nagotiation to do businesses with girls in Toyoko, there are actually protecting systems in the community against disgusting invitaions from adults. They actually ensure security by forming groups. This is what positive side of forming community within Toyoko kids, and what media did not broadcast and filter.
Close Distance within the Community (Linked with Proximics)
One Toyoko guy was pinching two girls’ necks in a joking way. There is barely any physical distance between the two girls and the guy. Thr proxemics between them fit into the intimate personal space (0-50cm). Judging from two girls’ facial expressions, they didn’t seem to enjoy being pinched by the male Toyoko kid. Such behavior shows how male Toyoko kids use proxemics to establish a sense of dominance over girls.The other day, we saw two male Toyoko kids hugging each other in the Toyoko hiroba. It is quite rare to see male-male hugging each other in the public and share intimate personal space with each other (0-50cm). It suggests that the two guys may have been very close to each other or they can be a couple.
Speaking of proxemics, as observations stated above show, they never maintain certain distance to invade others personal spaces. They are actually hugging, hifiving, elbow bumping, and so forth, which demonstrate their distance is super close, also suggesting they are really intimate community. Sasaki (2021) considers the community has been disperse; however, we cannot observe such scenes.
To-yoko Style of Language Use (Linked with Language Use)
Dominant groups have a culture to be impolite. This can be bidirectional in that, while being dominant allows for impoliteness, at the same time being impolite creates dominance. Also, they do not use keigo within the commuity; however, when they are to talk to an outsider they will use keigo. In general it is understood that Keigo shows politeness but on a deeper level, “it is classified into three types: exalted, humble, and polite”. The way Toyoko kids use keigo to outsiders is even different from these three types which is to put distance. They use keigo in a way that does not allow for intimacy and creates distance.
Read more on Being impolite
REad More on how language is used differently to an outsider
As web article by NHK suggests, they do not use polite way of speaking, or keigo. However, the interesting fact is they actually use keigo not to show their politeness but to take a distance from outsiders. This links with the secuirty part; in addition to previously mentioned protective system in the community, they also utilize language use to heighten their security from outsiders. In addition, being impolite creates dominance, suggesting that it can be speculated that in order to look themselves stronger by speaking impolitely to protect themselves.
Kind Adults in the Community
One of the toyoko kids( a guy in his late 20s) recognised us as we went there last week and asked us to do arm wrestling with him. “腕相撲しようや”. He had a cup of alcohol same as last week. He seems to be a little bit drunk all the time. He seems to be very fine with having physical interaction with someone he barely knows. It can be said that he tries to show friendliness through arm wrestling game with some strangers. This behavior of having some physical contact with some strangers is quite rare in the majority of Japanese society, which shows he got a different views from the rest of the society.
Severl media informed that the community has interaction with evil adults, such as violent people or evil scouts mediating illegal labors by exploiting the girls (NHK, 2022; News Post Seven, 2021), or actually, they are member of the community like the guy named Howl, who got arrested due to sexual assualt to the underage girl (Nemoto, 2022). There is actually friendly adults in the community like a previously stated man calling his self Infinity. Before Howl committed the crime, he had been an iconic character of kind adults in the community, who formed the volunteer group to support the children in the community. However, except for him, none was featured in media as friednly and kind adults in the community; but field works validate the existence of kind and friendly adults in the community, weakening the created image of their emphasized abonormality.
Conclusion
Admittedly, certain parts of the articles can be actually observed in the fieldsites; however, basically, a bunch of activities, strategies, and the human nature that media have not conveyed can be observed in reality. Therefore, it might be said, as stated in introduction, media has some biased filter and prioritize to garner public attention by exaggerating negative message rather than positive one, meaning positive sides of To-yoko kids are much remained to be undiscovered,
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Popular media representation