Internet can serve as a tool to track people's tendency toward violence

[Paul Keith]

The important point here is the all-consuming and addictive nature of the Internet. Online games are particularly addictive, and can easily interfere with day-to-day life; it has even given rise to the term "netoge haijin" (net game invalid).

It's not, however, that the Internet produces new pathologies. Rather, they condense and reveal the pathologies that already exist or magnify and accelerate their effects. In the case of the family in Toyokawa, the Internet probably served as the manifestation and accelerator of the family's underlying problems.

If this, indeed, is the case, there's no use lamenting the harmful effects of the Internet now. If intervention of the Internet allows for easier discovery of people's tendency towards violence and addiction, it would serve us well to make full use of such functions. It will allow us to confront families' shadows that have long been ignored. (By Tamaki Saito, psychiatrist)

Note that I'm a non-Japanese Hikikomori so this relates more to my niche but I figure'd some of you may like to discuss another episode of "the effects of the Internet on society"

Internet can serve as a tool to track people's tendency toward violence

from: DuckDuckGo News Search on Hikikomori which links to Google News

[Deozaan]

Maybe it's just culture differences, but the article is about a 30 year old man who lived with his parents, yet the whole time the article refers to him as their [his parents'] son, with examples of how the parents are treating him as a child (or at least a late teen).

If the family had consulted me, I would have first asked that they promptly commit to a policy of zero-tolerance against violence, and to set a maximum limit on their son's allowance. The family had entrusted the son with management of the parents' salaries ostensibly to teach him about autonomy. They also allowed the son free use of credit cards, which led to piling debts.

The most important thing in such a situation is to maintain a certain limit on the son's monthly allowance even if he shows strong resistance. Credit cards are out of the question. Stand firmly by these rules, and if violence erupts, respond by calling the police and escaping to a safe place.

How on earth is a 30 year old man going to be "taught autonomy" by other people giving him their money and a monthly allowance? Kick him out of the house and stop treating him like a child if you want him to grow up.

The whole article seems a little bit "off" since it gives three examples in Japan where adults have murdered others, yet the article refers to these adults (except the first one) as children.

Like I said, maybe it's a cultural thing, but I can hardly take anything the article says as good, sound information when it constantly refers to adults around the age of 30 as children.

[Paul Keith]

Yeah, it's a cultural thing but it's also interlaced with a personal article thing.

I don't know if the article is specifically relating to this but you can see in this link why it may not be a clear cut issue of someone being an adult or a child:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amae

[Deozaan]

Sounds like the law of the harvest to me. That which you reap, you sow.

By "babying" their children well into adulthood, their children become very old, large babies.

[Paul Keith]

It is for the most part but sometimes in a volatile economy as Japan or any poor country where it's much less practicable to live paying for your own needs (i.e. in the Philippines there are married couples that don't get married because of poverty but live in together) it's not as clear cut as it is.

Family culture is also linked to this. In America or Europe I think, it's much more common to leave your parents where as in Asian countries it's much more respectful and kind to live and provide for your family.

[Deozaan]

where as in Asian countries it's much more respectful and kind to live and provide for your family.

You make good points, the difference though is that this guy is living with his family, but they are providing for him. Yet from the tone of the article, that seems to be the norm. In my opinion, providing everything for your children when they are capable of providing for themselves does not teach autonomy. It enables, teaches, and encourages harmful dependence.

[Paul Keith]

Yeah, that's the problem but see that is the Hikikomori and NEET lifestyle. (although the person in this post I would categorize more as a parasite single because of his extreme form of leeching although generally we all seem that way to outsiders)

I can't justify to you though how there is very little difference but my family provides for me. (They don't want to throw me out on the streets in my case) ...but it is as you said, it does not teach autonomy however that's kind of another catch 22 with it too.

Most of the culture or the people aren't very autonomous generating. I for example never learned to cook or wash my clothes for a very long time even before I was a hikikomori. In my case though, it's not so much of an excuse which is why I am a hikikomori as much as I failed to run away or commit suicide and eventually my lack of skills makes it more convenient for me to choose the provided lifestyle instead of constantly running away at least until the internet dies out.

As you spread that out to multiple personalities, some will do it in such a way that they have a home business and provide for their family (I have no knowledge of that unfortunately especially as I don't have an account.) Then there's people like in that article that abuses it almost to the point that it sounds like a psycho movie.

The little difference though comes from the sense of satisfaction. Many hikikomories just like people who provide for their families while living with them all fall into the spectrum that there is at least two people in that relationship that is satisfied: the provider and the person who stays connected to a family and the most common social chain link for this is the concept of Amae at least for the Japanese.

[40hz]

There might be some truth to it.

I know if I found out that somebody were tracking me like that, I would tend to get violent.