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The Sociology of "Communication Disorders"

Publish: July 18, 2018

Writer Profile

  • Rie Kido

    Other : Associate Professor, School of Sociology, Kwansei Gakuin University

    ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ alumni

    Rie Kido

    Other : Associate Professor, School of Sociology, Kwansei Gakuin University

    ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ alumni

The other day, a student said to me, "Professor, do you know what a 'Yo-tomo' is?" When I asked, they explained it refers to a relationship where you don't know each other deeply like friends, but you say "Yo!" to each other when you meet. When I asked, "What's the point of that?" I got an interesting answer.

"Right? I don't get it either. Even if I ask 'Who's that?', they're just like 'Oh, just an acquaintance,' and they might not even know their name. But they say 'Yo!' when they meet. When they do that, those of us standing there think, 'Wow, they have a lot of friends.' It's like they're acquaintances almost just for that purpose."

"I just don't see the point. What's the meaning of a friend you only greet without being close? I have three or four people at university I can really talk to, and I think it's fine not to have many friends. But when I see people saying 'Yo!' to each other, I start to wonder if I have too few. And if the person I always have lunch with is absent, I'm like, 'Oh no, what do I do?'"

It was a casual conversation, but it struck a chord with me. In the image of young people seeking validation by flaunting how many friends they have, I felt the recent trend of placing excessive value on "communication skills" appearing in a strangely realistic form. It seemed to represent a part of the invisible suffocating feeling individuals face in modern society¡ªand by extension, the mystery of the "connection between the individual and society"¡ªwhich cannot be dismissed simply by saying "young people these days have superficial relationships."

In this book, I explored the "friction individuals feel when connecting with society" using keywords such as "communication skills," "school refusal," "hikikomori (social withdrawal)," and "the parties involved." I started my research on the "connection between children/youth and society" using my own experience of school refusal as a starting point. This book is based on manuscripts I have written over the past 13 years, from my time as a graduate student to the present.

I tried to put a stop to the crude labeling of "That guy has a communication disorder" or "I have a communication disorder," and instead searched for ways to engage carefully with others and society. I would be honored if you would pick up a copy.

Rie Kido (Author)

Seidosha

296 pages, 1,800 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of writing.

Writing Notes