2 ms·
Actually I will go further. I live in Japan and use Line to communicate with everyone except really old people. Stickers are as basic as language. It is an evol
by nihonde 10y ago
Actually I will go further. I live in Japan and use Line to communicate with everyone except really old people. Stickers are as basic as language. It is an evolution of our current mode of communication and is quite expressive. Like all languages, it occurs somewhat spontaneously, but I can tell you for sure that Line has the lightning in a bottle right now whereas Apple, Facebook, Snap, etc. just don't get it. Like with the original emoji, Japan is a ripe environment for this pictographic language evolution stuff. By the time it becomes cool in Los Angeles, Japan will have leveled up a few times. Related Aside: I'm posting this comment from the Nozomi Shinkansen at 300km/hr...the future is a beautiful place.
- monkmartinez 10y agoIt's fleeting. There are lots of social phenomena in Japan that have never taken off in the States and vice-versa. Remember when Zynga and Farmville were the best thing since sliced bread? Remember the dotcom days when companies were worth millions(Billions) based on potential? That is what is happening here. There is no hook to keep these users for the next 5 to 10 years. Something "cooler/hipper/awesomer/badasser" is being coded right now...
- nihonde 10y agoYour takeaway from my comment was that I think everything Japan does will later be popular in America? I didn't say that. I do see plenty of examples of stuff that pops in the west years after it was a hit in Japan. However, the point of my earlier comment is that Japan (and many other parts of Asia) have been adapting their language to new media, and stickers are an important extension of that, and thus are tied to quite a fundamental aspect of human life.