Reflecting on Gizmodo Japan’s 20th Anniversary: Greenkeys and the Future of Web Media

I thought for a bit about where I should post this.

However, since this is a story about where Greenkeys came from and where it’s headed, I decided to publish it as a column here on Greenkeys.

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Media, surprisingly, lives a long time.

An article celebrating the 20th anniversary of Gizmodo Japan, beginning with those words, has been published.

It was written by Kazumi Oda, the Editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo Japan.

Reference:
Gizmodo is 20 years old today. Japan’s largest tech media outlet has reached its “coming of age.”

On July 31, 2026, Gizmodo Japan celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Congratulations.

Gizmodo Japan started on July 31, 2006.

At that time, the iPhone hadn’t even appeared yet, and X (then Twitter) and Instagram weren’t yet popular in Japan.

Twenty years ago, I was 19 years old.

As someone who loved PCs, I remember Winny becoming a major social issue.

It was the heyday of flip phones, and I clearly remember YouTube just starting out.

This was before the era where everyone shares information through search and social media, and reading articles on a smartphone is taken for granted.

Twenty years since then.

Not only technology, but the way we encounter information has changed significantly.

And now, I believe web media—the ones delivering the information—are also being forced to change.

Taking Gizmodo Japan’s 20th anniversary as an opportunity, I thought about where Greenkeys came from and where it’s going.

Entering the Web Industry in 2019

Actually, I started working on the web in 2019, which is quite late.

At the time, I was active as a “telecommunications specialist,” covering topics like unlimited Wi-Fi.

I started Greenkeys three years later, in 2022.

I remember that was a time when, due to major fluctuations in Google search, personal sites that used to appear in search results were becoming harder to rank highly.

As GreenEchoes Studio, I started in 2019 and engaged in activities beyond the scope of an individual, but I learned how difficult it is to make that known on the web.

However, due to major Google search updates in 2023, search traffic to the telecommunications media I was running decreased significantly.

As a result, Greenkeys became the core of the business.

At the time, among media outlets that relied on affiliate marketing as their main source of revenue, many seemed to prioritize selling products over providing actual evaluations.

I gradually began to feel uncomfortable with that kind of content creation, so I started Greenkeys to simply “share what I love, how I love it.”

Becoming a Media Bridge Between Overseas Brands and Japan

The obstacle I hit after starting Greenkeys was, of course, the issue of monetization.

To continue operating the media, it needs to be monetized in some form.

On the other hand, I wanted to avoid appearing to recommend products just to reach a predetermined conclusion by prioritizing revenue.

From this conflict, my current editorial policy of “leaving the decision to buy up to the reader” was established.

It’s a stance of “I recommend it, but the reader is the one who makes the final judgment.”

As I researched the keyboard genre, I learned that Japan has a unique, almost “Galapagos-like” environment centered on Japanese layouts and domestic brands.

Overseas, direct partnerships with brands were possible, and my interactions with representatives from international brands increased.

It wasn’t just about introducing products; it was about what kind of products Japanese users are looking for, which specifications are hard to accept, and how to communicate the appeal of a product correctly.

I also took on the role of conveying those reactions from the Japanese market back to the overseas brands.

It really happened before I knew it.

Today, in addition to publishing product reviews and news, this has led to work I never imagined when I started Greenkeys, such as market reports, sales promotion support, product supervision, and project proposals.

At the time, I don’t think there were many examples of a Japanese keyboard-specialized media outlet building ongoing relationships with multiple overseas brands and acting as a bridge to the Japanese market as a business.

It’s true that Greenkeys started as an extension of a hobby.

But it has gradually evolved from a media outlet that just collects and introduces keyboard information to one that connects Japanese users with overseas brands.

The Environment Surrounding Web Media Has Changed Significantly

I think the fact that Greenkeys evolved into a “media model that doesn’t depend on PV (page views)” was largely due to its nature as a niche genre.

At the time, the keyboard genre was a niche within a niche, and we couldn’t expect high PV numbers to begin with.

Also, considering the Japanese keyboard scene, I felt there was almost no room to monetize as a traditional media outlet.

By exploring within that scene, the current style of Greenkeys was completed.

Meanwhile, there were also changes in the environment surrounding web media itself.

Traditionally, web media was based on creating articles, attracting traffic from search and social media, and converting PV into advertising revenue.

However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a media outlet with this mechanism alone.

Google search is heavily affected by updates, and it’s not uncommon for search rankings that were stable to change in a short period.

On social media, while the posts themselves are evaluated, there is a tendency for posts containing links to external sites to be less likely to spread.

With the tightening of Cookie regulations, it’s also becoming harder to track user behavior continuously, forcing a rethink of traditional targeted advertising.

Furthermore, with the spread of generative AI, people can now grasp the gist of simple product information or general explanations without having to access the original article.

We are in an era where people who need information don’t necessarily visit the media that created it.

What’s facing a crisis might not be web media itself, but rather the operating method that relies solely on converting PV into advertising revenue.

I feel that Gizmodo Japan is one of the outlets changing this style.

Gizmodo Japan is Also Moving “Beyond Just Telling”

Of course, Greenkeys and Gizmodo Japan differ greatly in scale, history, and management structure.

Gizmodo Japan is one of Japan’s leading technology media outlets, with many editors and writers.

Greenkeys, on the other hand, is a small specialized media outlet focused on a specific genre.

Even so, looking at Gizmodo Japan’s recent initiatives, I feel that both are gradually moving in the same direction from different starting points.

In addition to distributing articles, Gizmodo Japan is expanding into video via YouTube and operating the tech store “GIZMART.”

Furthermore, with projects like the Keychron Nape Pro and Keychron Orca echo, they didn’t just introduce finished products; they went as far as creating products with manufacturers, starting from the ideas of their editorial staff.

In an article about the site renewal published in May 2026, Mr. Oda stated the following regarding the role of media:

Media finds that passion, puts it into words, and connects people, companies, and communities.

Reference:
Gizmodo Japan has been renewed. Toward a technology media where “everyone explores together.”

I felt these words are extremely important when thinking about the future of web media.

It’s not just about delivering information announced by manufacturers to readers as articles, but also about stepping in between readers, creators, companies, and communities to generate new movements.

The joint development with manufacturers and GIZMART that Gizmodo Japan is pursuing looks like a move to expand the role of media itself, while also being an initiative to increase revenue sources other than advertising.

Connecting Articles to New Value

Although we are said to be in the heyday of video, “text-based content” will likely never disappear as reading material for people.

After all, writing has a depth that video cannot match, plus the advantage of being able to re-read necessary parts at your own pace and grasp the main point in a short time.

However, it’s also true that monetizing through articles alone is becoming difficult due to the changes in the environment surrounding text media.

From now on, I believe it will be important not only to monetize the articles themselves through advertising but also to use the articles as a starting point to connect to other values.

By continuously publishing specialized articles, trust is built with readers.

By continuing to observe reader reactions, you understand what is being sought in that market.

By building relationships with manufacturers, you become able to reflect market demands in product development and sales methods.

I believe articles are both the output itself and an entry point that connects readers, manufacturers, products, and communities.

The fact that Greenkeys has built relationships with overseas brands and moved into market reports, sales promotion support, and product supervision is the result of accumulating expertise and trust through articles.

It’s not that the value of articles is disappearing.

It’s about taking the value created by articles and connecting it to delivering new products or developing new products.

I believe that is the new form of media that Greenkeys aims for.

Toward the Era of “Web Media 2.0”

If I were to put it into words, I see this change as “Web Media 2.0.”

If traditional web media was about creating articles, gathering traffic from search and social media, and turning PV into ad revenue, then future web media will transform into an entity that connects people, companies, products, and communities, using articles as the starting point.

Videos, events, sales, joint development, and consulting are all extensions of that.

Gizmodo Japan, as a technology media outlet with a large reader base, is moving toward joint development with manufacturers and GIZMART.

Because Greenkeys started in a niche genre where advertising revenue is hard to sustain, it has ended up moving in a similar direction through overseas affiliates and manufacturer support.

If Gizmodo Japan is moving from a large reader base toward product development and commerce, I think Greenkeys has, as a result, built a system to deliver products to Japanese readers, starting from its expertise and relationships with overseas brands.

The starting points and scales are different.

Even so, I think there are commonalities in the role of “connecting people, companies, and communities with media as the starting point.”

The Value of Individual Writers is Also Increasing

As the environment surrounding web media changes, more emphasis is being placed not just on the name of the publication, but on “who wrote it.”

Precisely because we are in an era where generative AI can create general product descriptions, the writer’s experience, judgment criteria, and consistency with past statements become the value of the article.

On the other hand, if trust and relationships with manufacturers are concentrated in specific editors or writers, the risk of media operations becoming overly dependent on individuals increases.

Greenkeys also has many parts that depend on my personal judgment and relationships.

It’s not about eliminating individuality, but about how to accumulate information, production processes, and manufacturer relationships as media assets while retaining the writer’s personality.

This is a challenge that Greenkeys must consider in order to last a long time.

Greenkeys is Also Moving to the Next Stage

Mr. Oda concluded his 20th-anniversary article with the following words:

The coming-of-age ceremony is not the goal.

Greenkeys is a young media outlet that started in 2022, only about four years old.

Compared to Gizmodo Japan’s 20 years, you could say we’ve only just started walking.

Even so, the role of Greenkeys has changed significantly over these few years.

From a place that introduces keyboard information to a place that connects Japanese users with overseas brands.

From a position of communicating finished products to a position where we are sometimes asked for opinions on planning before a product is born or how to communicate it in the Japanese market.

This is a change I never imagined when I started Greenkeys.

Search and social media algorithms, advertising mechanisms, and the way we receive information will all continue to change.

That’s why we need to increase what only Greenkeys can do, without relying solely on traffic given by specific platforms.

Writing articles will continue to be the heart of Greenkeys.

Connecting people and companies through articles, delivering products not yet known in Japan, and conveying the voices of Japanese users to the world.

Sometimes, creating the spark for a new product to be born.

That is the form of media that Greenkeys aims for from now on.

Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of Gizmodo Japan.

Looking at your 20-year journey, Greenkeys also wants to move to the next stage, albeit through trial and error, to remain a media outlet that can continue for a long time to come.

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