The internet and its wireless extensions in Japan: the portentous interface between chaos and order

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to chart the evolving internet‐mobile internet relationship in Japan.Design/methodology/approachThe approach takes the form of a case study.FindingsThe original i‐Mode‐based model for mobile internet in Japan was largely an ordered system except for relatively marginal unofficial web sites, which unlike official web sites were not listed on the browser, where an element of chaos reigned. The introduction of Google search engine changed the ecosystem by giving the unofficial web sites new visibility.Practical implicationsThe interface between the internet and its wireless extensions is a potential source of powerful influences both ways and needs to be watched.Originality/valueThe paper looks at the little studied interface between the chaotic internet and its mobile extensions, largely ordered systems, to see whether the chaos of the internet will spill over to its mobile extensions or whether the order of the latter will march on to the former.