With less than a month until the new year, we'd like to ask each of them for words that offer clues to interpreting the near future from a variety of angles, not just in the world of fashion.
First up is museum educator Aida Daiya. From 2003 to 2014, Aida gained experience at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM), which deals with media art as content.
Currently, he is a specially appointed assistant professor in the GCL Development Program at the University of Tokyo, where he teaches graduate students, and is also supervising Mitsukoshi Isetan's media-focused learning project "cocoiku," which will open in April 2015.
What does it mean to live in a "media society" overflowing with information, now that we've long been called a "media society"? We asked about the skills that will be required in the future.
--How do you interpret the concept of the word "media"?
Media is the plural form of medium, meaning the middle. I believe anything that connects things can be called media. Specifically, until the 1990s, connections were made through "objects"—telephone lines for phone calls, letters for conveying feelings, and so on—and until then, these were things that could be clearly defined. However, with the development of electronic technology, intangible "electronic media" emerged, and today, we see a wide variety of media. I think they're becoming just another commonplace part of our environment. While social media like Twitter and Facebook are generally recognized as "media" and a familiar means of expression, the idea that online platforms also pose a risk of leaking private information to the world is becoming increasingly common. Here's an analogy I often use: people who live in the forest know about the forest, and people who live by the sea know about the sea. They know where the river is, that certain fruits shouldn't be eaten, and they can tell from the waves and weather that a storm is coming tomorrow. Living comfortably requires knowledge tailored to the region and environment in which they live. Japan today is a society surrounded by media. In that sense, it's important to be well-versed in media. I believe that we should understand media not as an academic subject, like someone who lives in the sea knowing oceanography or someone who lives in the forest knowing geology, but as a way to use it effectively in everyday life.

--So the important thing is how to actually use it in your daily life.

That's right. I think modern media plays the role of "stationery." It's important to use it to learn, think, and express various things.

--I heard that you will be supervising "Cocoiku," a space to educate preschoolers about media, starting next spring. What is your intention behind this?

It is important to know the wisdom behind media, such as what is fun about it and what is scary about it, so I want to create a classroom where children can learn this wisdom. The idea is to create a place that is neither school nor home.

--Why do children need places other than "school" and "home"?

In an era when the number of children was increasing, efficient knowledge transmission was an urgent need, so it was inevitable to use an educational system that involved copying and pasting knowledge. However, when it comes to education in a social context characterized by a declining birthrate and international and cultural diversity, I believe it may be time to try a slightly different approach. I believe this leads to the need for educational settings outside of "school" and "home."

--There is a need for places outside of school to teach things that cannot be learned in school.

Of course, with the widespread use of electronic media, schools now provide opportunities to learn about "media." However, the content often consists of things like, "Learn how to type blind" and "The Internet is dangerous." I don't think this is a very appropriate way to use media as stationery. Media situations change every day, and the media environment before and after the advent of social media is completely different. A school-based education system doesn't really fit this content. Learning truly substantive material would take a considerable amount of time, making it difficult to learn at school. It would also be difficult for parents to teach at home. Therefore, I believe there needs to be a place where people with media knowledge can teach.

Continued on 2/2.