Technology affordances and social withdrawal: The rise of hikikomori

Abstract

The prevalence of social withdrawal behaviors has been a growing concern in recent years. The concept of hikikomori, a severe social withdrawal condition, has gained increasing attention in high-income societies and developed economies. The term applies to both the condition and the person experiencing it. Technology has been blamed for exacerbating the isolation of hikikomoris. Paradoxically, anecdotal evidence suggests that technology can help mitigate their social withdrawal. Drawing on affordance theory, this study explores the potential of technology as an intermediate intervention to help hikikomoris reintegrate into society by addressing the research question—“How are the affordances of technology leveraged to contribute to the gradual reintegration of hikikomoris into society?” This netnographic study is based on over 2-year naturalistic observations of the Hikikomori Escape online community. Our findings identified seven types of affordances that facilitate Hikikomoris' social reintegration journey: anonymous storytelling, meta connectivity, information access for skill growth, peer networking and community building, online coaching, virtual-to-real connectivity, and tech-enabled skill development. We discuss how three levels of technology affordances shape hihikomoris' self-motivation to connect socially at the individual and community levels, facilitating their gradual reintegration into society. This research contributes by developing an empirically grounded framework of how technology can contribute to addressing social withdrawal among hikikomoris. Such knowledge is crucial for scholars, policymakers, and health professionals seeking to tackle this pressing societal challenge.