Watching other people study might not make for the most thrilling entertainment, but clips of strangers studying are going viral in Japan. As young people experience a widespread sense of disconnect, they’re turning to virtual companionship to foster a sense of community. We explore the insights behind the phenomenon, looking at how watching YouTube videos is helping Japan’s students feel a little less alone.
Issho ni benkyou shoyou – or ‘Let’s Study Together’ clips – are YouTube videos in which young people film themselves sitting across from the camera, tending to their homework. These videos, primarily aimed at junior high and high school students, have seen a boom in Japan, with an upload from Japanese YouTuber Hajime Shacho racking up over three million views since autumn 2016. In the wake of their popularity, a Japanese morning show featured a report on the wave of students who play the videos to complement their own study sessions.
With places at top Japanese universities in high demand, ‘examination hell’ – the winter preceding the standardised test – has students bunkered up at home studying, leaving them little time for social interaction. “In the absence of immediate social networks and friendship groups, Tokyo’s isolated youth often turn to the impersonal anonymity of the online world [to give them company,” says Alex Hacillo, contributor to Weapons of Reason.
The popularity of 'Let’s Study Together' clips speaks to the concerns of Japan’s youth. Many young people are already struggling in the social sphere, with fewer romantic relationships, prolonged isolation, and depression increasingly common, while some of them “consider establishing a real relationship with another person an effort.” By simulating a virtual community with peers, these clips are helping students to recreate a sense of connectedness that's falling through the cracks in Japanese society.
Mira Kopolovic is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8, which specialises in behavioural insights and consumer research. She has a master’s degree in creative industries, which focused on artist-brand collaborations, and spends her spare time poring over dystopian literature.
