Why are there no Japanese people using it? Here’s why.
Japanese artists tend to avoid Facebook (Meta-owned platform) and prefer platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Pixiv, and Instagram for several cultural and practical reasons:
Privacy is their concern.
Firstly is the anonymity and privacy culture. In Japan, there is a strong cultural value placed on privacy and separating professional/public identity from personal life. And that’s why, some Japanese artists are using “stage names” in order to keep their identities and other private details and personal lives concealed. Facebook tends to use their real names, in which it can only discourage most artists who prefer to use their stage names (pseudonyms), or being to remain anonymous. Unlike Facebook, other platforms like X and Threads (Meta-owned platform) can allow pseudonyms and avatars (profile pictures), in order to keep them be remained anonymous, thus aligning more with Japanese norms.
Limited sharing and engagement.
Secondly, the platform purpose and design. In Facebook, it is built around personal networks and friends, family, and school and work connections, in which it doesn’t serve artists looking to reach wider and interest-based audiences. Despite Facebook is now having this system, classifying profiles and public pages, still the Japanese people would prefer to be on X, and other social media platforms. In X, it is mostly interest and content-driven platform, making it ideal for artists to share work, connect with fans, and follow trends using hashtags.
“Viral” content is their aim.
Third. The ease of sharing and going viral. X’s repost and hashtag functions make it much easier for contents to spread quickly, and to reach new audiences.
Basically, the reasons above are already stated, showing that Japanese people are preferring X more than Facebook. X has been Japan’s most popular social platform (after LINE, which is for messaging), with a strong presence of creatives, fandoms, and subcultures. And also, they tend and prefer to use Instagram (also a Meta-owned platform) in order to share their artworks or pictures there.
Japanese artists avoid Facebook mostly because it doesn’t align with the anonymity, viral sharing, and interest-based networking they prefer. If not Facebook, then they use Instagram instead, along with X, in order to share their creative contents and media.
Also, Japanese Anime companies do really prioritize in using X, YouTube, and other SNS platforms than Facebook, and there’s a clear reason: they get far better engagement and reach on those platforms.
Facebook today is becoming unfair when it comes to their algorithm and engagement — a reason why some public figures are getting more reach and engagement, and some do not. Also, on what we post is that it only affects our engagement with audiences that we wanted to reach.
So then, that literally explains everything why Japanese artists, and bigger Anime companies and brands prefer using X (formerly Twitter), and other local platforms than Facebook.
