The examine factors to the extremely addictive nature of short-form movies, that are usually between one and 5 minutes lengthy and designed for fast, steady consumption. (Picture courtesy of YonhapNews TV)
SEOUL, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) — The explosion of short-form video content material on platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts could also be fueling a surge in smartphone overdependence amongst younger South Koreans, a brand new educational examine has discovered — prompting requires higher social and platform accountability in addressing digital habit.
In response to analysis printed by Yonsei College’s Barun ICT Analysis Heart within the Journal of Data Administration Analysis, short-form content material is contributing considerably to problematic smartphone use, significantly amongst these of their 20s.
The examine factors to the extremely addictive nature of short-form movies, that are usually between one and 5 minutes lengthy and designed for fast, steady consumption.
The findings construct on the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT’s 2024 smartphone dependency survey, which revealed that 34% of individuals of their 20s fall into the “at-risk” class for smartphone overuse—the best amongst all grownup age teams.
Smartphone overdependence is outlined as a major enhance in utilization that disrupts day by day life and reduces customers’ capability to regulate their habits, typically resulting in points comparable to sleep disturbances and despair.
Brief-form content material has emerged as the most well-liked sort of cellular viewing amongst South Korean shoppers. (Picture courtesy of Kobiz Media)
Professor Lee Geon-woo of the Barun ICT Analysis Heart analyzed information from the Korea Media Panel Examine spanning 2019 to 2023, specializing in the introduction of short-form video providers in 2021.
His evaluation confirmed that the launch of short-form options led to a mean enhance of 1.7 OTT (on-line video streaming) viewings per week amongst individuals of their 20s. The pattern was particularly pronounced amongst those that recognized Instagram as their major social media platform.
Provided that increased OTT utilization correlates strongly with smartphone overdependence, Lee argues that the proliferation of short-form movies has had each direct and oblique results on worsening digital habits amongst younger adults.
“If the recognition of short-form movies continues to encourage extended smartphone use, platforms will accumulate extra behavioral information — which in flip fuels additional engagement and reinforces the cycle,” Lee wrote.
“We should cease viewing this solely as a matter of private self-control or particular person habit, and as an alternative acknowledge it as a structural consequence of present financial and technological programs.”
The examine urges each tech firms and customers to take lively roles in mitigation. Lee recommends that platforms introduce built-in reminders encouraging breaks after prolonged viewing, and that younger customers develop stronger self-regulation habits to restrict display time.
As South Korea continues to grapple with its tech-savvy inhabitants’s rising dependency on smartphones, the examine provides weight to broader societal issues over the psychological well being implications of algorithm-driven content material consumption.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
