Research report

Introduction

I made interviews to some users who live apart from their families about my thesis topic. I asked them how they communicate with family in daily life, what kind of relationship and distance they take, and what is the ideal way and so on. In this phase, I try to find a way to re-define the communication tool that we use in long-distance relationship such as email and letter from several aspects through personal story, memory and their own way of opinion.

Question-1
Do you keep letters that you got? What is the reason that you are keeping them? How do you preserve it?

All of them who I made the interview answered that they keep letters. They consider the letters as a part of relationship with sender and valuable memory. Some of them have special own letter box, and letters are preserved in the box which has been cherished by them. Most of them deal with letters carefully because of the appreciation for sender’s effort and investment to write.

Question-2
Do you look back letters? What is the reason? In which situation?

All of them answered that they look back letters not often but sometimes. Most of them seem find letters accidentally and read it again when they clean room or look for something else. Some of them said that they look back letters when they feel nostalgia and mental anxiety to be healed and calm.

Question-3
Can you recognize your family’s hand-writing?

All of them said yes. And surprisingly there is one person who can even recognize her aunt’s hand-writing.

Question-4
Do you have some good story about letter?

Letter is normally used for communication in distance. However there is different use of it, for instance, one girl from Korea, when she was living with her parents, she had a important decision and need to persuade parents to allow her to do what she wants to do. She used not to talk to them directly but use letter by writing own decision and thought on it. It seems effective way of communication. When you write some sentences, you transform idea in your mind into characters and reflect your thought objectively. It would be clever way to tell important thing at certain distance rather than talk face-to-face directly.

Question-5
How do you contact with your family?

Most of them use phone and skype to contact with their family not constantly but more or less once a week. Due to some parents of them don’t use or are not good at using computer, they select voice communication for contact each other. Some of them send picture to their family by mail to share life.

Question-6
What is your perspective about long-distance relationship and communication?

Some of them answered that when they communicate with family, they talk about life, routine and health condition. However, they seem hesitate to share mental condition or anxiety in order not to make parents worry. One girl said that nowadays it’s much easier to keep a long distance relationship because of the facility of technology. The distance doesn’t seem too long any more and it is a kind of fake getting closer idea. And she thinks the quality becomes less, because it is easy. She misses the idea of waiting for the postman and check box if there is a mail for her.

Question-7

Do you look back email that you got or sent in the past?

Most of them said yes. Especially when they order e-mail box, they read again past e-mails and keep special or emotional e-mails. One person said that when she replies them, she does not use “re” in the space of subject on format of e-mail. She tries to make it new and keep a little bit quality of letter-feeling.

Conclusion、

People seem want to be free and don't want be interfered but at the same time, they do not want to feel lonliness and want to be connected with someone. So they seem have this ambivalent feeling. In the potential evaluation to three media such as the letter, the mail and mobile phone, user select and recognize them as a different tool and use it together depends on situation. People experience various events and get involved in many things in daily life. Some records of the relationship to things, people and the event might be forgotten, but some are rooted in personal memory and might be shared with others. It is hard to regard that past memories in a personal area are just descriptions of events which were concluded in the past, and there is no link between you in present or the future and that. I think that memories are things that guarantee continuance from own past, and will be evidence of the connection of family and friend. By taking out such memories occasionally and present it to others, new value will be created as a chance to communicate with people.