In this article, we will provide an after-report on the session "NoMaps Conference: The Role and Potential of Local Media" presented by Domingo at NoMaps Conference 2020!

overview

In an age where individuals can disseminate information, the number and types of "media" are increasing. The eastern part of Hokkaido, known as "Doto," is no exception, and there are many local media outlets that disseminate information rooted in the region. Three people who run unique local media outlets that disseminate information while also managing a "venue" will talk about the role of media that is rooted in the region.
The three speakers at this NoMaps conference, under the theme of "The Role and Potential of Local Media," were Tachikawa Akira, who runs the internet television station Doto TV based in Tsubetsucho; Nakanishi Takuro of Dot Doto, who has completed the unofficial guidebook to the eastern Hokkaido region called ".doto"; and Shimizu Tatsuya of Field Note, which introduces the shops and people of the Kushiro region.
In order to convey the charm of eastern Hokkaido through video, the broadcast was from around Lake Kussharo.

"Local media" x "place"

In addition to running the local media, Tachikawa of Doto TV has been running a co-working space called "JIMBA" in Tsubetsucho since 2019, Shimizu of Field Note has been running a physical co-working space called "HATOBA Nishikimachi" in Kushiro City, and Nakanishi of Dot Doto has been running a community space called "Dot Doto," a gathering of freelancers that acts as a hub connecting the eastern Hokkaido region.
Tachikawa says that he had not initially thought of running a "place" in an area that is not a "city" where many people live, but he has realized that "local media" and "places" go well together. In addition to the original media's approach of covering things in the area, the existence of a place called "JIMBA" often gives rise to stories that he wants to cover. Shimizu, who holds talk events such as "Human Power Plant" at the co-working space "HATOBA Nishikimachi," feels that it is events and places that create a chain of input and output, making the hidden value of the region apparent and creating a network within the region.
Nakanishi, who created ".doto" while trying to create a community space that brought together many different people, says that by raising funds through crowdfunding and producing ".doto" as participatory entertainment, he was able to create a new type of guidebook that realistically conveys local life and its attractions.

Creating "information with a long shelf life"

The media, which started with woodblock print media, then expanded to newspapers, radio, and television, and as the Internet took hold, various platforms were born. The barrier to disseminating information has gradually been lowered, and now individuals can easily disseminate information.
The three say that in an age when information is so abundant that it can feel like there is an "information overload," the "best-before date" of information is becoming shorter and shorter.
In such a situation, what is "information with a long shelf life" and how can it be created? Nakanishi says that he is conscious of not just "communicating" information, but also of linking it to further action.
Shimizu, who has interviewed many people in the local area, has built face-to-face relationships in the local media, just like the vegetable farmers who sell their vegetables at farmers' markets and are introduced as "grown by Mr./Ms. XX," and he continues to cherish these connections.

The future of local media

When Nakanishi was creating ".doto," he divided the areas into large areas such as "Kushiro" and "Obihiro," and assigned each person to cover their own areas, and when they were all compiled, the unofficial guidebook that was completed was, as if by coincidence, an introduction to Eastern Hokkaido from the perspective of "the way of life and lifestyle." From this experience, he said that he thinks there is value in breaking down the fixed idea that "this is what a guidebook is like," and disseminating information through the perspective of the way of life.
Shimizu says that the future role of the media is to "repaint the perception of the region," and that he wants to convey the region in a positive way by unraveling and conveying the negative perception and history of the past, and by interviewing people who act with determination. He also says that by acting according to your initial impulses and taking action to solve the problems you find, the opportunities for you to be active will gradually expand.
Tachikawa says that when creating local media and spaces, it is important to create "experiences that are created together." For example, in terms of funding, rather than getting the same amount from one big sponsor, he thinks that it would be possible to sustain the dissemination of high-quality information by collecting small amounts from many local people as payment for the use of the space, and then disseminating the interesting things that come out of the space as a media.

summary

The three men, Tachikawa, Shimizu, and Nakanishi, started their own "local media" in eastern Hokkaido and, sensing the need, run a "venue."
One of the memorable words used in this conference was "accompanying media." The joyful expressions on the faces of the three speakers as they spoke about their desire to continue to be a media that "accompanies" independent activities, connecting the dots of places and events that arise in various regions, are perhaps symbolic of this conference.
Please keep an eye on future developments for Doto TV, Field Notes, and .doto.