THE ‘COMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION’ AND THE HOUSEHOLD: SOME THOUGHTS FROM THE JAPANESE EXPERIENCE

In recent years there has been much debate on the likely impact of new communications media on the household. In Japan, where progress in the development and application of communications technology has been rapid, a large-scale experiment was conducted between 1984 and 1987 to test public acceptance of these media. This article examines some of the major findings of the experiment. It concludes that household use of the new media in the immediate future is likely to be very limited. In the longer run such use may expand, but a number of important technological and social changes will be necessary before large-scale expansion can occur.

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