We’re excited to share a new research paper from 360i’s Insights & Planning group, entitled “Global Twitter Trends: South Korea.” This whitepaper is the last of a multi-part series in which we explore the social media habits of three emerging global markets: Brazil, India and South Korea. It follows a 2014 report that compared Twitter habits in India.
Just three years out from the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, many marketers are turning their sights on South Korea. Widely considered to be one of the most connected and Internet-savvy countries, South Koreans have distinct habits when it comes to the consumption of online media.
This whitepaper explores the role of culture when it comes to how, where and with what purpose people in South Korea engage on Twitter, and how their engagement compares to other markets. These findings can be used as an indication of South Korean consumers’ engagement on social media overall and offer important implications for marketers targeting South Korean consumers on Twitter. The findings in this report are part of a larger series from 360i that compares Twitter usage in the U.S., U.K., Brazil and India.
Key Findings
- Twitter users in South Korea are ‘always on.’ In addition to posting consistently throughout the day, South Korean users are more likely to post late in the evening compared to other markets analyzed, specifically between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. Availability of affordable, fast-speed wireless Internet means South Korean users are able to post frequently on their mobile devices at any given time or location.
- Twitter is a platform for expressing frustration. A notable portion of conversations revolve around the frustration experienced in everyday situations such as in school or in the workplace. With 90 percent of the user sample consisting of teenagers and young adults, South Korea’s highly competitive and stressful culture appears to fuel the large majority of posts expressing negative sentiment.
- Anonymity leads to more personal engagement. Anonymity plays a notable role in determining how open a Korean user is to sharing information online. For example, anonymous users are 1.5 times more likely than identifiable users to share something personal about themselves. Marketers will want to keep this in mind and ensure engagement does not come at the cost of a user having to reveal too much about his or herself.
Read the full report: “Global Twitter Trends: South Korea”
Research Credits:
Author: Claire Charron, Manager, Global Insights & Planning at 360i London
Contributor: John Cho, Associate Analyst, SEO
