This illustration shows Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram apps on a smartphone, July 13, 2021. Reuters – Yonhap News
U.S.-based social media platforms YouTube and Instagram saw a significant increase in time spent by Korean users in September compared to the same month last year, while domestic platforms such as KakaoTalk and Naver stalled, according to data on Sunday. did.
South Korean users spent a total of 1.8 billion hours on top player YouTube last month, an increase of 9.5% year-on-year, according to data compiled by industry tracker Wiseapp.
Instagram also saw 378 million hours of total usage last month, a 42.1% year-over-year jump, making it the third most popular app by time spent.
However, time spent on second-place KakaoTalk decreased by 3.3% to 527 million hours during the period. Naver, one of Japan’s leading search engines, also decreased by 9.7% from the previous year, with total usage time reaching 329 million hours last month.
Industry officials said YouTube and Instagram are encouraging users to spend more time on their platforms through short-form videos, which refer to entertainment content that lasts only a few seconds.
Instagram launched its Reels video service in 2021, and YouTube offers similar functionality under its Shorts brand.
Industry insiders added that Korean platforms including Naver and Kakao should make efforts to strengthen their short video platforms.
An industry insider said, “There are limits to how domestic companies like Naver and Kakao can directly compete with Instagram and YouTube in short video services that are viewed by viewers all over the world.” He added that efforts should be made to strengthen compensation. platform. (Union)
