BY AKIKO NAKAGAWA

The words "IT Revolution" and "Ohha-"(good morning) were chosen as "new and vogue words" in the last year of 20th century. As eras change, so do words. It is no wonder that new words are born. New words evolve naturally and became so common and that people tend to use them without thinking about them.

The prize for new and vogue words was chosen from among various words which were created last year. These words must have witty expressions and nuances about social conditions and they must be words which enliven the public by seeing, speaking and hearing them. At the same time, the persons or groups concerned with the new word is recognized. "Obatarian"(1989), "Waka Taka"(1991), "I feel something happy or something sad"(1992- said by Kin-san and Gin-san when they became 100 years old), and "Shiturakuen"(1997-something new in our memory), all were elected for this prize in the past.

"IT Revolution," which was elected this time, means the revolution in the realm of Information Technology. It urges the growth of the economy and tries to change the system of our nation, society and industry. In short, it means the effort to try to carry on business using the Internet. By doing this, the direct transaction between company to company and company to consumer is increasing. This revolution can be said to be epoch-making in that it makes the most of current technology. Therefore , it was chosen as the "new and vogue word." However, how does this IT concern the public?

Creating something new also creates problems and this epoch-making revolution also has problems. One problem is a difference in access to information. There are people who can be on the wave of IT but also many who can't. Moreover, there are people who can't even operate a computer at all, or perhaps there are many people who don't need it at all. Everybody can go to the bank or a book store on foot. It is possible to affirm that there is no need for the Internet. While transactions between computers are increasing, exchanges between people are decreasing, like the figure of a customer who is trying to haggle over food prices with the neighborhood shop owner, or a group of wives meeting in the neighborhood. It is sad that communication skills are decreasing because of computers.

On the other hand, "Ohha-" is a hearty phrase in a cold and heartless world because of the current wave of the information society. People develop new things for convenience. Thanks to computers, our lives have become rich and convenient. However, the meaning of rich in our lives differs from the meaning of the rich in mind. Young men who walk only looking at their cellular phones and sending e-mail will never learn the name of the flower blooming beside the road. People who bury themselves in their work looking at their computers will never notice how beautiful the stars in the night sky are. Do you remember how many people you have said a lively "Good morning" to this morning? Why do people have to hurry to succeed? In our current information society, we give too high a priority to the computer to notice anything natural.

Now the world has changed from the 20th century to the 21st century. At the same time, new technology, new things, new words, and new common sense will be born to the world. However, don't forget the things that never change. We live not in an information society but in a human society: there are "fish shops," "vegetable shops," and "book stores" on the street corners. I hope that the scenes of mothers leading their kids, and elders and schoolchildren gathering together, and people taking their time with their shopping will never be things of the past.