Introduction: Pushing Buttons
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Published:January 2024
In Japan, a renewed interest in adapting interactivity to television came after 2011, when the Fukushima nuclear disaster triggered a political and media crisis that collided with mounting worries among Japanese television professionals about the loss of audiences to the internet. Much industry dialog began to revolve around how television content, including news, could be made more responsive to public reaction and input by expanding the capacity of social media–enhanced television. At the same time, a galvanized independent news media sector emerged with several new start-ups interested in developing alternative television news sources by harnessing the interactive and participatory capacity of live streaming video services and websites. This introduction outlines what was felt to be at stake in the Japanese television industry and inspired committed participants in the movement to use technology to reimagine television and journalism for the future.