Creating “Safe Places” in Social Media: Japanese Youth’s Tactics of Self-Presentation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This article explores the self-presentation strategies of young Japanese people (aged 19–21) on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on their creative resistance to social constraints. Drawing from ethnographic investigations conducted with Japanese college students, we delve into the creative practices undertaken by these individuals to carve out “safe places” within the digital sphere amid the prevailing peer pressure in Japanese culture to rigidly adhere to quarantine rules. Our findings illuminate the diverse strategies employed by Japanese youth to not only project a “socially responsible” self-presentation during the pandemic but also strategically navigate the boundaries between public and private spheres while challenging dominant structures on media platforms and societal norms to assert their agency and autonomy through creativity. These tactics ranged from the management of self-expression on social media to overt acts of defiance against societal expectations. By examining individual cases of Japanese youth, we shed light on the nuanced ways in which individuals leverage hyperconnectivity across various social media platforms to manage their identities and challenge societal norms, thus shaping their experiences of the pandemic. This article also contributes to understanding the dynamic interplay between culture, virtual social networks, and individual agency in times of crisis.