My daily routine of a day starts with checking my messenger to see if there was any important things going on between chats. Even with my family members, SNS application is what I use more often rather than usual messenger application. The most widely use SNS messenger which is KAKAOTALK is what almost every citizens of Korea, including myself, use. But among the 4 in my family, There is only one person that does not use KAKAOTALK. It is my dad. I had not know the exact reason why when he announced that he was not going to use it. Instead, he started using another SNS messenger; LINE. So all the other family members downloaded the app to chat with dad. This is how I started being interested in the differences between KAKAOTALK and why the latter is more used people followed by how the SNS can affect the world.
IT Technology is the basic of the basic among the enterprises which works in the field of electronic devices. And to prove how the world has developed in the field of information technology, people have invented a way for them to communicate and transmit their knowledge to each other as fast as possible. And this is called the ‘Social Networking System’, so called as SNS, abbreviated. The most famous SNS, which is ‘Facebook’ was made by ‘Mark Zuckerberg’. It had started as just a small company but now, Zuckerberg is standing in the position of a high up billionaire. Today, Facebook is used worldwide and even most of the teens in Korea is using Facebook. Instagram is one of the widely used SNS as well. It is mostly used as a communication way between celebrities and their fans.
Although not as widely used like Facebook and Instagram, there is a SNS which we could say represents Korea. It is KAKAOTALK which is a messenger that almost all the citizens in Korea use. It helps you to text freely without the worry of phone bills since it is run only by Wifi. Another SNS that I would like to introduce is LINE. It is not of a nation SNS but it is used in much more various countries. LINE is not much different from Kakaotalk. It is a messenger that can be used only with Wifi. It also has emoticon characters like Kakaotalk and the dolls and goods related to it is sold online and offline also.
So as someone who uses both of these programs, I have arranged the differences I have felt using them.
The very first and the most important thing about both KAKAOTALK and LINE is that both of them makes you able to send free messages in any places with internet. No matter how long the message is, or how many you send them, it is free to send(if the internet fee is not included).
Also, it has its own representative characters that are used as emojis. The characters have gained tremendous popularity by its cute features. Afterwards, each companies are consistently producing goods with these characters and not a small number of people are obsessed to buy these items.
Third thing is that these applications take only a small part in the storage of devices compared to other applications and it also uses only minor amount of battery.
The forth thing is that you can group chat with other people. One difficulty that I’ve personally felt when using just the original messenger was that it was hard to send and share information with people at the same time. But these apps allows you to chat at the same time which is a lot of help for people who has to make an appointment or is doing group work. You can also send pictures or videos in the chat room and later on, you can go into the gallery of the chat room to see and assemble what photos were sent without having to scroll all the way up to find it. Another practical function is that you can edit photos before actually sending them so as to check for any appropriate parts and cover them with emoji stickers provided in the app. Or, you can draw on the picture and from what I think, this helps a lot when explaining something using a photo.
| Pc : http://www.trutower.com/2014/07/14/line-kakaotalk-chinese-block-restoration-soon/ |
The biggest difference between KAKAOTALK and LINE is the way of marketing. KAKAOTALK has succeeded in its way of marketing by using games. In the list of the most popular games in google play, many of us would have seen the game icons with little logo of KakaoTalk at the bottom corner. It means that the game can only be played if Kakaotalk is installed and only if the player has an KakaoTalk account. For people who loves to play games, this is a lure that one cannot reject or shake-off because the Kakao company owns profits of many games and has also taken over.
| http://www.chinaz.com/news/2014/0110/335065.shtml |
And according to research, the overall prices of the goods produced by LINE is more expensive as it is aiming for a more luxurious impression. But since people buy things only depending on the likes of character and the price, people cannot help but be more attracted to Kakaotalk goods. Considering the prices in which the items are sold by, more daily and living simple items are sold in Kakaotalk goods shop when on the other hand, Line stores sell things that are not as daily and which are normally sold on high price.
The last but not the least thing that I’ve noticed as a difference is that Line requires more wifi and internet connection then Kakaotalk. I use both apps on my smart phone and on my laptop also but Line has often lost contact with the internet connection even though the internet was still available, whereas Kakaotalk did not. Did is very crucial as both applications require access to internet. So making the internet connection fast and easy should have been the main focus when producing the program. Whether other Line users are having problem with the internet connection while using, I cannot tell but if there is any but one user who is having difficulty, I judge there would be someone experiencing the same situations.
As I have mentioned above, Kakaotalk is used much more by people in Korea than Line. From my point of view, I think the main reason is because all the other people use it. The only uncomfortable thing about SNS messenger apps that I can think of is that you can only send messages to people who actually owns the app themselves. If someone that you want to send messages to has not installed the application in your device, then it is impossible for you to send any messages using the app.
The second reason is that there are more options provided in Kakaotalk than Line and it is more easy to use. You are able to make a anonymous chatting room that allows you to chat with people who’ve come through any address of the chat room that you might have written in any of your SNS application.
Social networking isn’t for everyone, but it’s now such a massive part of all our lives, whether we embrace or reject the notion, that it can no longer be ignored.
But since SNS has become a global trend, using SNS to make everyone into one and bring them together would be a good way to unite and embrace the world as whole.
MLA Reference :
“KakaoTalk vs Line: 13 Facts in Comparison.” KakaoTalk vs Line: 13 Facts in Comparison. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
“The Positive Impact Of Social Networking Sites On Society [Opinion].” MakeUseOf. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
By YOUKYUNG LEE and YURI KAGEYAMA. “Mobile Chat Apps Line, Kakao Flourishing among Young Asians.” The Big Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
Issa, Tomayess, Pedro Isaias, and Piet Kommers. Social Networking and Education: Global Perspectives. Cham: Springer International, 2015. Print.
Mroz, Rafael. App-Marketing Für IPhone Und Android: Planung, Konzeption, Vermarktung Von Apps Im Mobile Business. Heidelberg: Mitp, 2013. Print.
Wellman, Barry, and Caroline A. Haythornthwaite. The Internet in Everyday Life. Malden, MA, USA: Blackwell Pub., 2002. Print.
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