ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2019
Exploring the Extent of the Hikikomori Phenomenon on Twitter: Mixed Methods Study of Western Language Tweets.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Characterizing Experiences With Hikikomori Syndrome on Twitter Among Japanese-Language Users: Qualitative Infodemiology Content Analysis.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- Assessment of beliefs and attitudes towards benzodiazepines using machine learning based on social media posts: an observational study.BMC psychiatry · 2024Observational
- Analysis of the hikikomori phenomenon - an international infodemiology study of Twitter data in Portuguese.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Understanding Public Perceptions and Discussions on Opioids Through Twitter: Cross-Sectional Infodemiology Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Leveraging machine learning approaches for predicting potential Lyme disease cases and incidence rates in the United States using Twitter.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2023Article
- Content and User Engagement of Health-Related Behavior Tweets Posted by Mass Media Outlets From Spain and the United States Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observational Infodemiology Study.JMIR infodemiology · 2023Article
- Hikikomori: A Scientometric Review of 20 Years of Research.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Assessment of beliefs and attitudes about electroconvulsive therapy posted on Twitter: An observational study.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2023Observational
- Article
- Mediterranean Diet Social Network Impact along 11 Years in the Major US Media Outlets: Thematic and Quantitative Analysis Using Twitter.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Examining Tweet Content and Engagement of Users With Tweets About Hikikomori in Japanese: Mixed Methods Study of Social Withdrawal.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Analyzing Psychotherapy on Twitter: An 11-Year Analysis of Tweets From Major U.S. Media Outlets.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Areas of Interest and Attitudes Toward Antiobesity Drugs: Thematic and Quantitative Analysis Using Twitter.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Observational
- Analysis of Tweets Containing Information Related to Rheumatological Diseases on Twitter.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Areas of Interest and Attitudes towards the Pharmacological Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Thematic and Quantitative Analysis Using Twitter.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- Analysis of Media Outlets on Women's Health: Thematic and Quantitative Analyses Using Twitter.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- Assessment of Antipsychotic Medications on Social Media: Machine Learning Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Eating Disorder Awareness Campaigns: Thematic and Quantitative Analysis Using Twitter.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHikikomori is a severe form of social withdrawal, originally described in Japan but recently reported in other countries. Debate exists as to what extent hikikomori is viewed as a problem outside of the Japanese context.
objectiveWe aimed to explore perceptions about hikikomori outside Japan by analyzing Western language content from the popular social media platform, Twitter.
methodsWe conducted a mixed methods analysis of all publicly available tweets using the hashtag #hikikomori between February 1 and August 16, 2018, in 5 Western languages (Catalan, English, French, Italian, and Spanish). Tweets were first classified as to whether they described hikikomori as a problem or a nonproblematic phenomenon. Tweets regarding hikikomori as a problem were then subclassified in terms of the type of problem (medical, social, or anecdotal) they referred to, and we marked if they referenced scientific publications or the presence of hikikomori in countries other than Japan. We also examined measures of interest in content related to hikikomori, including retweets, likes, and associated hashtags.
resultsA total of 1042 tweets used #hikikomori, and 656 (62.3%) were included in the content analysis. Most of the included tweets were written in English (44.20%) and Italian (34.16%), and a majority (56.70%) discussed hikikomori as a problem. Tweets referencing scientific publications (3.96%) and hikikomori as present in countries other than Japan (13.57%) were less common. Tweets mentioning hikikomori outside Japan were statistically more likely to be retweeted (P=.01) and liked (P=.01) than those not mentioning it, whereas tweets with explicit scientific references were statistically more retweeted (P=.01) but not liked (P=.10) than those without that reference. Retweet and like figures were not statistically significantly different among other categories and subcategories. The most associated hashtags included references to Japan, mental health, and the youth.
conclusionsHikikomori is a repeated word in non-Japanese Western languages on Twitter, suggesting the presence of hikikomori in countries outside Japan. Most tweets treat hikikomori as a problem, but the ways they post about it are highly heterogeneous.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.