The Day People’s Ideas Transcend Companies and Government
Tomohiro Oya, Senior Research Associate
July 10, 2013 (Wednesday)
The word “社会” (shakai, ‘society’) existed long ago in words borrowed from China, but it only became fixed as a translation for ‘society’ after the Meiji Restoration. The process of that fixation, however, involved much trial and error in translation by the experts of the era, as written in “After New Words Are Translated” (Akira Yanabu, Iwanami Shinsho Publishers). Yukichi Fukuzawa, a translator of many foreign borrowed words, expresses ‘society’ with the phrase “人間交際” (ningen kosai,‘human interaction’). This word did not exist conceptually in Japanese, and it was accepted affectionately as a premium imported word from a developed country without being given suitable meaning. However, Yanabu points out that the word was used so widely because its meaning is ambiguous. Given the circumstances of the times, when the feudal caste system was abolished and people of the Meiji era felt the process of people and organizations forming new relationships with each other, they likely projected onto the word “社会” the changes occurring all around them that they could not fully capture in words.
These days, using ‘social’ in terms describing phenomena, ideas, and movements has become trendy. From Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Innovation to Social Entrepreneur and Social Media, all of these terms have been introduced into Japan from western countries. As in the Meiji era, the meaning of the word remains ambiguous, but it seems that it holds a connotation of “something good” for us. This is probably because the people of that era felt structural changes which were extremely vague in form, and now, too, we indeed feel a sense of progress; these terms have that sort of ring to them.
Since the industrial revolution, governments and corporations have been the actors moving society and the economy, and the idea that bigger is better (e.g., economy of scale, mass production) has taken root. However, developments in ICT have greatly changed this conception. Activities that span the globe, information gathering and transmission — until now these were beyond the reach of but a handful of large organizations (governments, corporations, mass media), but now, starting with the ideas of individuals, it is possible for people around the world to forge bonds and apply these towards concrete activity. In light of this, it would seem that the relationship between individuals and corporations and government has become one of equality. We are now in an age when it is common for the words of one individual, through social media, to shake all of society.
If the ‘social’ boom is in fact an indication that we have subconsciously perceived a significant structural change, then we have entered an age in which corporations and governments must recognize that their position has changed greatly and move in society under the assumption that they are an equal entity with the many individuals therein.
