Not a Compromise for Face-to-Face: Psychological Safety and the Latest Evidence Drawn Out by Digital Spaces
Nice to meet you. I am Hiro, the representative of Soyogi, a consultation service for care and support.
As a survivor of childhood abuse, a support worker who has walked the path of welfare since my 20s, and an individual who developed depression due to power harassment in my 30s and was forced out of society after a long battle with illness, I speak from experience. Currently, I suffer from anthropophobia and claustrophobia, and even now, talking to people directly or going outside involves significant distress.
When I launched "Soyogi," an online-only consultation service, and began working in metaverse spaces, I would occasionally hear comments like these.
"Isn't face-to-face still the best for welfare?"
"Online is just a compromise for people who can't meet in person."
However, is that really the case? Based on my experience as a support worker and the reality of my own struggle with illness, I have felt a strong sense of discomfort with this "face-to-face supremacy." Furthermore, in recent fields of neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry, solid evidence is being proven one after another that support in digital spaces has value equal to, or even greater than, face-to-face interaction.
In this article, I would like to talk from a realistic perspective, based on the latest research data, about the "true psychological safety" that can only be created because it is a digital space.
The Limits of Welfare That Only Saves "People Who Can Go Outside"
Much of traditional welfare is built on the premise that the person seeking consultation visits an office, or that a support worker visits their home to "meet face-to-face."
Of course, there are many situations where that works. However, as we operate a welfare business that is entrusted with the lives of others, we must look at reality strictly. Naive estimates can be fatal.
In reality, there are people who suffer from anthropophobia, severe depression, or are in a state of withdrawal, who "cannot even open their room door" or "feel terrified even making a phone call." Telling such truly needy people to "please come to the office first" is far too cruel.
As a result, has welfare become a mere pose, "saving only those who are easy to save"? By prioritizing face-to-face interaction, are we leaving those who need support the most outside the system?
Support in digital spaces is by no means a "forced alternative" to face-to-face interaction. Rather, it is a powerful, highly realistic option for reaching out directly to areas that welfare has not been able to reach until now.
The Effectiveness of "Beyond the Screen" Proven by Science
How effective is psychological support and approach via digital means? Recent clinical research has shown very interesting data.
Regarding attempts to implement "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)" via the internet (iCBT), which is widely used in the fields of psychology and psychiatry, large-scale meta-analyses (the highest level of verification integrating multiple research data) have been conducted around the world. As a result, it has already been established that online intervention has a clear therapeutic effect in reducing anxiety disorders, stress, and depressive symptoms that is no different from face-to-face sessions.
Going a step further, recent latest research (randomized controlled trials) has also reported the superiority of programs utilizing 3D "metaverse spaces."
In clinical trials targeting adults with symptoms of depression and anxiety, it was demonstrated that cognitive behavioral skill programs conducted within a metaverse space had a faster rate of symptom reduction and significantly greater short-term improvement effects than sessions conducted through conventional flat screens (such as regular video calls on smartphones or PCs).
Why is the effect higher in a metaverse space? Research points to the "sense of presence"—the feeling that one is truly existing there—brought about by 3D digital spaces as the key. This sense of presence creates a "protected space" where we can feel each other's existence, rather than just one-way communication through a screen, thereby increasing psychological security. It is known that this effect is maintained even in follow-up surveys six months later.
"True Psychological Safety" Brought by Avatars and the Home
Consultations online and in metaverse spaces have two strengths that can never be replicated in real-life face-to-face sessions.
The first is the "appropriate anonymity and psychological distance" provided by using an avatar.
In face-to-face interactions, some people become mentally exhausted simply by over-reading the other person's gaze, facial expressions, and subtle atmosphere. By becoming an avatar, one is freed from the pressure of appearance and gaze, allowing them to focus solely on their "inner self" and weave their words.
The second is that you can connect from "the area most safe for you (your home)."
Going out, entering an unfamiliar building, and facing a professional for the first time—the process alone can drain a person's energy. Being able to connect with a supporter anywhere in the world while remaining in your own room, the most secure and relaxing environment possible—this is the true psychological safety that digital space brings out.
Toward a gentle world that remains as a system
I operate this "Soyogi" without relying on any government subsidies or grants. This is because I want to build a system that is truly needed into a sustainable form with our own hands, without being bound by someone else's imposed rules.
There is a limit to the support a human can provide alone, both in terms of physical strength and mental energy. I coldly accept the limits of my own self as well.
That is precisely why I want to spread a "gentle welfare system" to humanity that is not just ad-hoc welfare performed by kind people wearing themselves out, but one that correctly fuses technology and digital space so that it continues to run autonomously, no matter who operates it or even after I have left this world. That is my resolve and my true wish.
Digital space is not a cold box of technology.
It is the newest and gentlest "digital shelter" that embraces people who have been blocked by the harsh walls of reality and have nowhere else to go.
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