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I found this example on lang-8, and wonder if anyone could clarify the use of 一応ね here:

A: Are you going on Facebook or Twitter?

B: Just socially.

A: FacebookとかTwitterやってる？

B: 一応ね。

When I look up 一応 on tangorin I get:

いちおう ichiou 【一応 · 一往】 adverb: once;  tentatively;  in outline;  for the time being;  just in case;  so far as it goes

過去問がもしあるならば一応目を通すほうがいいと思います。 If there are past exam questions then I think it would be best to give them a quick look over.

I asked the original writer (native speaker) and he said that the translation was the meaning in his use of the phrase. Does this meaning exist in common usage and if so is the meaning as specific as the english phrase, "just socially?"

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    I don't understand the English phrase "just socially". What does it mean exactly?
    – Earthliŋ ♦
    Jun 9, 2013 at 15:04
  • it means= i am doing this action just in a social setting or just for social reasons, ie drinking, smoking, dancing, speaking japanese, etc
    – yadokari
    Jun 9, 2013 at 15:11
  • I see, thank you. Well, now you have an answer already, but I agree that 一応 doesn't carry any nuance that would suggest a translation to "just socially".
    – Earthliŋ ♦
    Jun 9, 2013 at 16:13

2 Answers 2

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No. This is a paraphrase, that only works because of the context.

As I wrote in this answer, 一応 can be understood as "tentatively, not to the full extent". That can be interpreted here as "I'm not completely using them all the time, not totally invested in the whole thing, but nevertheless I am on those services for what that's worth" ...so, "just casually" or "just socially".

There's no special meaning in play here.

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    ok thanks. i think "just casually" would be a better translation then.
    – yadokari
    Jun 9, 2013 at 15:32
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A good translation for 一応 would also be:

Whatever.

or depending on the speaker:

Whatever, man.

I think it reflects the taciturnity of the response better than:

I'm not completely using them all the time, not totally invested in the whole thing, but nevertheless I am on those services for what that's worth.

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    would you be kind enough to give an example or two that you think illustrate this meaning?
    – yadokari
    Jun 10, 2013 at 0:33
  • Wouldn't the use of "whatever" be more like if the Person B did not use Facebook or Twitter at all? It sounds like the Person B might be using Facebook or Twitter for the time being, at least... ^^
    – summea
    Jun 10, 2013 at 2:40
  • i was assuming the meaning jens is expressing was unrelated to my example
    – yadokari
    Jun 10, 2013 at 3:00
  • The "not totally invested"-ness could in my opinion originate from "People are asking me about it, and I don't want to seem socially awkward. Therefore I created one and give it out to avoid having to decline the question. I even check it once a month". I concede that "whatever" is more the 本音-answer. 建前-English would be: "Why yes of course; here's my card, we should totally hang out."
    – Jens Jensen
    Jun 10, 2013 at 8:45
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    In my idiolect, 'Whatever' or 'Whatever, man' is dismissive, in the sense that the speaker doesn't care about the topic at hand. I'm not sure it renders 一応, which expresses that the speaker's judgment is tentative or 'for now'.
    – jogloran
    Jun 11, 2013 at 7:28

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