The video explores the unique characteristics of Japanese web design, contrasting it with minimalist trends elsewhere. Initially based on a 2013 theory, the creator uses AI to analyze web design differences and their impact. The investigation reveals that Japan's web design is indeed denser and more colorful, potentially due to its early adoption of mobile web technologies which diverged from Western practices. The video also discusses how web standards and search engine optimization have homogenized global web design, except for Japan. Ultimately, it suggests that technology influences how information is consumed and can shape our worldview.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The author used a web crawler and VPN to take screenshots of local pages from various websites.
2. The author collected 2,671 screenshots of websites from over 200 countries.
3. The author used machine learning to extract prominent features of each website screenshot.
4. The author used a statistical method called dimensionality reduction to compare the extracted features.
5. The author found that Japanese websites tend to be brightly colored and dense, avoiding dark and empty spaces.
6. Japanese websites are an exception to the general trend of web design, with most countries having a wide variety of web design styles.
7. The author investigated three possible reasons for Japan's unique web design: characters, culture, and technology.
8. The author found that the difference in characters used in Japanese writing systems did not explain the unique web design.
9. The author was unable to find a clear connection between Japanese culture and its unique web design.
10. The author found that technology, specifically Japan's early adoption of smartphones, contributed to its unique web design.
11. Japan's smartphone revolution began around 10 years before the rest of the world, with phones having email in 1999, cameras in 2000, and 3G by 2001.
12. Japanese companies did not feel the need to adapt their websites for mobile devices, as they were already profitable in Japan.
13. The Western web began simplifying for the iPhone, but Japanese web designers did not need to make this change.
14. Japan's relationship with technology, specifically outdated technology, is a main reason why its internet looks different.
15. The author suggests that the internet's infrastructure, including hardware and software, shapes the way we consume information.
16. The author notes that the internet's constant presence in our pockets or hands can shape the way we see the world.