When I first set up Brainstorm Warning, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with it. The site was a blank canvas; I had only a vague plan for sharing personal news with family and friends. Nearly all of my early posts were visible only to users who registered an account. The bulk of posts are still private, though the frequency of public posts has increased.
The first two images I uploaded to the gallery, aside from test images, were icons marked with the text Private and Public, respectively. Included in the logos were the kanji for honne and tatemae. Wikipedia explains honne and tatemae as follows:
Honne (本音) refers to a person’s true feelings and desires. These may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one’s position and circumstances, and they are often kept hidden, except with one’s closest friends.
Tatemae (建前), literally “façade,” is the behaviour and opinions one displays in public. Tatemae is what is expected by society and required according to one’s position and circumstances, and these may or may not match one’s honne.
As I begin the next stage of Brainstorm Warning, I plan to invest more time in the public face (tatemae) of the site while continuing to make private (honne) posts viewable only by friends and family with registered accounts.
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