Until reading this article I had no clue cell-phone novels even existed. It looks as though the market for this type of thing is booming, with millions hitting up sites with cell-phone novels on them. I don't find the concept terribly interesting but maybe that's because I'm more concerned with the art of literature instead of the newest technological craze. I understand that Japanese women are expressing themselves in new ways through these novels but I'm still not interested in reading them.
In my opinion, I feel that this article is more about selling books. Yoshida, a the technology executive that is mentioned in the article, is quoted saying, "The cell-phone novel is an extreme success story of how social networks are used to build a product and launch it.” In Japanese culture these books have been celebrated and embraced (although some people still do not like them). I think that these cell-phone books help Japanese women express their struggle and that the Japanese market is eating them up. I find the concept of these books troubling and I have me own reservations regarding this genre.
I agree 100%, I didn't even think about it from the business perspective. Thanks for pointing that out.
ReplyDelete