Snack culture () is the South Korean trend of consuming entertainment or other media in brief periods, typically of 15 minutes or less. It is a practice which emerged due to the popularization of

smartphones A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...

and the desire of content-providers to reach an increasingly busy and mobile population. '' The Korean Times'' wrote in 2014 that snack culture' is becoming representative of the Korean cultural scene." It has been called "a hot topic" in the media-content industry in 2014. Due to its significance, several scholars paid attention to snack culture, and in particular in tandem with webtoons. Snack culture—the habit of consuming information and cultural resources like webtoons quickly rather than engaging at a deeper level—is becoming representative of the Korean cultural scene in the 21st century as discussed in Dal Yong Jin's book on Transmedia Storytelling.

Definition

The term ''snack culture'' comes from consuming media in a short time, like a snack that can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere. Snack culture is consumed in brief periods, between 30 seconds and 15 minutes, and is characterized by a light and compact format. In contrast,

binge-watching Binge-watching (also called binge-viewing) is the practice of watching entertainment or informational content for a prolonged time span, usually a single television show. Statistics Binge-watching overlaps with marathon viewing which places mo ...

, which became a popular term at about the same time, involves consuming media for hours at a time.

Background

Snack culture developed organically alongside the use of

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

s. According to statistics published in 2015 by the Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology and Future Planning, the number of smartphone users in South Korea exceeds 40 million. A 2015 survey by the Korea Communications Commission showed that 76.9 percent of South Koreans use smartphones, particularly when commuting. Mobile-device users typically consume online cultural content for an average period of 10 minutes. Mainly on the move, they become accustomed to the short segments. Snack culture such as webtoons, web dramas or web fiction books have continued to increase in popularity. To meet the increasing demand by smartphone users, content that is suitable and can be quickly accessed is under constant development. Advertisers joined the trend with ads that mimic web drama and

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

formats, so that users don't reject the advertisement.

Characterization and criticisms

By using mobile device, snack culture has Good accessibility. There is a tendency among snack-culture consumers to search for simplified content which is easier to consume. Snack culture is mainly focused on simple interest-oriented content. The short and simple content means that users do not have to invest a great deal of time or attention. They can enjoy it for a brief time or abandon it midway through. An increasing proportion of media content is becoming snack culture according to public consumption patterns. Some fear that it threatens the place of a deeper and more-engaging culture with a depth of thought. The nature of snack culture with its compression and simplification can undermine the essence of a greater and more-meaningful culture.

Content providers

Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to in ...

produces

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

s and web dramas.

Kakao Kakao ( ko, 카카오) is a South Korean internet company that was established in 2010. It formed as a result of a merger between Daum (web portal), Daum Communications and the original Kakao Inc. In 2014, the company was renamed Daum Kakao. Th ...

connects to mobile-specific snack culture. Pikicast and moncast. are popular snack culture apps. Card news is a mobile-only news service which allows users to view only the stories they wish, edited to be interesting.{{Cite web, url=http://www.journalist.or.kr/news/article.html?no=35306, script-title=ko:‘카드뉴스’ 모바일 독자 빨아들인다, website=www.journalist.or.kr, language=ko, access-date=2017-12-18

References

Society of South Korea