Digital Ehon Award Interview Series, Vol. 7

“With Digital Ehon, it’s important not to overdo it”

　We spoke with Rika Kayama, a psychiatrist known to everyone for her sharp tongue and incisive comments on television.

　“The hallmark of traditional picture books is that they don’t tell the whole story—they leave room for the imagination of children and the adults reading to them to fill in the gaps and complete the story. On the other hand, digital media is characterized by a wealth of information that scratches every itch. Can these two approaches coexist without contradiction?” she says she initially wondered.Koyama, a gaming enthusiast, notes that even in the world of video games, many people say today’s games are too polished, and that the pixel art of the past was actually more fun. She explains that the rough pixel art allowed for the joy of imagination—such as thinking, “This must be a beautiful girl!” However, these days she finds herself increasingly drawn into the world of Digital Ehon.“The works being produced are all surprising—making you think, ‘So that’s how it was solved!’” she says. “Some are designed so that they can’t be completed without the reader’s active participation, while others use digital technology to facilitate more realistic communication. I realized that elements once thought to be contradictory are now skillfully combined with technology to build a new world of expression.”Looking back, he reflected that the works that won awards were likely those where technology was added to incomplete or analog elements, resulting in a higher level of polish and a richer, more nuanced experience.

“As is true in any field, technology developers strive to push the boundaries further and further. We’re even on the verge of things that used to be the stuff of science fiction, like sending commands via brainwaves.So, rather than focusing on how to make it happen, we’re being tested on how to avoid doing it. It’s not quite that dramatic, but I felt through the judging process that even with Digital Ehon, the perspective of ‘how not to do it’ is also important,” he said. It is precisely because they are unfinished and rough around the edges that children work hard to use their imagination and engage with them. The question is how to make the most of that quality.

　Whenever technology takes a step forward, voices of anxiety and opposition arise in society. How does Ms. Kayama view this?
She argues that the emergence of new media is not merely the result of technological development, but a manifestation of what people and society have unconsciously demanded.Since it was born out of human demand as something indispensable, she argues that we certainly shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to use it. “When it comes to children’s relationship with new media, including video games, we should emphasize the benefits just as much as the drawbacks,” is Ms. Kayama’s basic stance, though she notes that neither one-sided pessimism nor one-sided optimism is desirable.

　In particular, the emergence of today’s “new media” involves a decisive and significant difference from the past: “connecting to the internet.” “In the offline world, our relationship was with a completed virtual world, but on the internet, there are real people on the other side.”
Digital media levels the playing field for communication, regardless of age or social standing. This is both a positive aspect and a double-edged sword. “In real life, if a five-year-old child calls me an ‘idiot,’ I’m not hurt by it, and I can correct them by saying, ‘You shouldn’t say things like that.’However, if a five-year-old writes ‘idiot’ to me in text, it becomes a communication between equals.” Because factors like font size don’t change, he explains, it leads to communication where age and status are forgotten. While it’s wonderful that people can communicate regardless of their real-world status, it’s also true that this has sparked numerous online backlashes.　The problem is that even adults don’t know how to handle it.

It’s true that while real-world communities—such as neighborhood ties and family bonds—have become weaker, social media is saving some people from isolation.Mothers raising young children. People living with illnesses. We often hear of cases where these platforms serve as a way for people to confirm, “I’m not alone.” Furthermore, there are patients—including those who struggle to express themselves verbally or who have disabilities that prevent them from speaking—who are able to express themselves through email or Twitter, and some say they’ve “found their own voice for the first time.”

　“It’s true that many people are finding relief, but at the same time, the question of ‘What do they do after they’re saved?’ is often overlooked.” Even though they’ve found a place for themselves online, when they suddenly come to their senses, they realize the world remains just as harsh on them as ever, and they’re still isolated. Having been saved once, they may become even more self-destructive than before.The confidence and self-esteem cultivated in the digital world often fail to translate back into reality.
There is a game called “Sparks” designed to treat depression. I hope to see cases where “a child who was able to attend school in the digital world was then able to attend school in real life.”

　At the second Digital Ehon Awards, I’m told there were many works that highlighted not only the potential of picture books but also the possibilities of new media.
I hope that Digital Ehon books will emerge that provide an opportunity for people who couldn’t adapt to the real world and found a place to belong in the virtual world to feel a sense of fulfillment in the real world as well.